


Blackwatch

by TheMaxBurger9, WFTC141



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, More characters to come, Will get Darker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2020-05-18 18:14:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19339909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMaxBurger9/pseuds/TheMaxBurger9, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WFTC141/pseuds/WFTC141
Summary: In response to the global war against terrorism, NATO finalizes the decision to form an unofficial covert operation division Blackwatch. Led by Delta Force veteran Gabriel Reyes and his team of former criminals and soldiers like him, they handle missions that no government would touch.Their only goal: Taking down high-level threats across the world, one country at a time.





	1. Who We Are

**Author's Note:**

> To be honest, I actually enjoyed writing the Overwatch fic with my writing partner, WFTC141. The game itself got my attention as well as the fandom. It’s an AU so most of the intelligent animals, cyborgs and omnics are human. The fic will take some inspiration from certain movies(I’m just the co-writer so...) and feature real-life people and celebs. 
> 
> WFTC141 already got the fic on his other website Fanfiction.net. Here's the link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13319664/1/Blackwatch. Go support him if you can.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy this take on the Overwatch universe!

_In 2014, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) formed a covert black ops unit, bringing together members from the shadows with a certain set of skills, all curated from the best with the best. They operate in countries that revolve in reconnaissance, rescue, counter-terrorism and assassinations. If they are compromised, NATO was not involved. They do not exist. They have no records. They are ghosts. They are_ **_Blackwatch_** _._

* * *

**_5:06 AM, Local Time_ **

**_Ukraine_ **

**_April, 2017_ **

Elsewhere far towards the yet to be risen sun, the War of Donbass continued to rage on in the distance. The gunfire and the roars shut out the outside world between the Russian army and the Ukraine forces. Footsteps and war cries rattled the village as a rocket obliterated a chunk of a house.

Dust, debris and glass powdered as a group of armed and masked(with the exception of certain members) operatives evade and escape from an army of Kadyrovtsy soldiers and Pro-Russian rebels, peppering after them with their rifles. Their mission was to rescue missing CIA agent Clint Goddard who was captured by Chechen forces and set to be executed. But when the captors have Pro-Russian rebels on their contacts list, what do they do? Now they were on the run, desperately making their way for the helicopter evac a few blocks away.

Gabriel Reyes, ex-Delta Force and the front man, turned around and fired automatic bursts with his 10 inch barreled HK416 fitted with an Eotech sight, a tactical foregrip, an AN/PEQ-15 ATPIAL and a suppressor while the team ran past him. His signature skull balaclava topped with a black hood glared at the rebels, designed to strike fear into their hearts, thus earning his nickname, **Reaper**. Doesn’t seem to be working so far.

He stopped shooting and retreated, catching up with Amélie Lacroix, the team’s sniper and second in command. Apart from the others, she was armed with a HK417 with custom attachments consisting of a RIS foregrip, a suppressor, a Harris bipod and a laser designator. As one of the most deadliest snipers and experienced ballet dancers originating from France, Amélie was known for her sharpshooting skills and her precise use of hand-to-hand combat. Therefore, the others knew her as  **Widowmaker.** Shortly, Reaper’s earpiece from his comms radio brightened alive.

“Ghost Rider to Shadow 1, get your asses moving. I’m running out of fumes here and I’m getting shot at, over!”

“We’re on the move right now! Stand by, over!” Gabriel replied while hopping over uneven terrain.

Making their way down a hill through a blasted hole on a wide fence, American country-man **Jesse McCree** turned around and burst rounds with his AR-15 5.56/223 Carbine attached with a Crimson Trace lasergrip and ACOG scope against their pursuers. Everybody was quick to call him a cowboy based on his thick beard, ragged hair and the cowboy hat whenever he wasn’t on the field. The Japanese **Genji Shimada** was also beside him, doing the same thing with his TDI Kriss Vector SBR .45 ACP attached with an extended mag, Trijicon SRS sight and an Osprey suppressor. He also had a hood over his balaclava.

Another operator assisting them was the newest member in Blackwatch. Keenan Cortell, AKA. **Marvel** , straight out of the US Air Force bringing in his experiences as a fighter jet pilot. Unlike everybody else, he only carried an automatic Glock 18, firing rapid bursts. He always preferred a pistol over an assault rifle but if he had to choose, his first pick would be his custom MCX Rattler. After taking down a group of rebels, another wave of them clambered after them, forcing the three to fall back.

“This mission was supposed to be clean and quiet!” McCree yelled while sliding down the rocky but short hill.

“How would it be if we’re in the middle of a goddamn war-zone?!” Marvel retorted, following him.

While the rest of the team ran through the wide dry area, Irish operative **Moira O'Deorain** carried Goddard by his shoulders. Even though he went through some beating sessions, he was still able to walk on two feet. Ex-Delta Force operative, Nicolas Beltrán or **Nico** for short fought back against the rebels trying to flank their east using his camo AK-12 with Eotech sights, AFG grip along with the Mexican, **Sombra**. Nobody knew her identity when she joined, not even the FBI. Her beanie covered her purple highlighted hair with sunglasses. Her custom silver blue MP7A1 attached with a suppressor, vertical foregrip and an Eotech sight was able to pick off a row of rebels charging after them.

“It would be better if you guys lent me a gun.” Goddard croaked.

“Sorry sir but you’re our mission and we can’t risk you getting killed.” Moira said.

The operatives caught up and they formed a line, fighting back against the pursuing rebels far from their distance while Moira brought Goddard to the front. After what felt like forever, their pilot in a PZL-Świdnik Mi-2 arrived and landed in front of the team. The rotors hovered, blowing away the remaining grass on its landing zone.

“Ghost Rider to Shadow 1, we’re here. Get your asses in. I don’t wanna stay long.”

“Copy, Ghost Rider.”  

As the rest of the team provided covering fire, Moria quickly placed Goddard into the helicopter. Once he was strapped in, Moira stepped near the doors and called after the team.

“Objective secure, everybody in the helicopter now!”

Genji and Marvel were the first to jump in while the rest continued to shoot back. One by one, the team jumped in while taking shots. Now it was Nico and Sombra’s turn to get in. As Sombra removed her clip while backing towards the helicopter, Nico’s gaze fell upon to his west where he saw one of the rebels crouched and aiming something pointy at them. It didn’t take long for him to realize what it was.

“RPG!” He shouted.

Wasting no time, Nico pushed Sombra out of the way just in the nick of time. As Sombra fell to the ground, Nico was unfortunately standing on the radius of the missile seconds away near him. As soon as it landed, an ear-crunching _thwoom_ erupted and smoke formed the area. The explosion damaged the helicopter, which almost had it tilting to its right with its rotors grazing the ground. As the smoke cleared out and the team got back to their senses, Sombra who had covered herself from the blast looked up and found Nico on the ground but he wasn’t responsive.

“Nico?” Sombra called. He didn’t move or cough, prompting her to get up and check on him. “ _Dios mios_ , Nico!”

When she got to him, it wasn’t a pretty sight. Sombra almost felt something forced up her throat. Nico’s body has almost turned into a limbless statue with both of his legs and left arm missing, as well as burns all over his chest and face. A puddle of blood formed underneath him, soaking the dry grass. His eyes were shut tightly as if something dug inside it.

“N-Nico’s down! I repeat! Nico’s down!” Sombra yelled.

Everybody gasped silently and gave each other glances except Gabriel. He jumped out of the helicopter while bullets continued to rain after them. He went up towards Sombra and helped her pull Nico to the helicopter while the rest of the team provided covering fire. Moira got out, armed with a spare HK416, managing to take out a pair of rebels closing in.

Once Gabriel and Sombra got in with Nico’s body, Moira stopped firing and hopped back in. The helicopter began to lift from the hot-zone and Marvel shut the slide. The rebels continued to shoot at them but the ceased shooting proved that the rebel’s efforts were fruitless.

As the helicopter flew out of sight from the village, Gabriel bent down near Nico’s body and pulled his mask off along with hood, revealing his brown goatee. He began to apply CPR while Goddard and Moira came to assist with cleaning up and bandaging the missing limbs with the provided first aid. Blood was now forming on the surface, slowly sliding downwards.

“Come on, Nico! Wake up!” Gabriel begged as he pressed his chest repeatedly.

There was no response. No cough or a faint feeling of a breath. Gabriel didn’t want to believe it. He kept on pressing his chest while the team waited for a miracle. Moira was the only person who knew an injury like this wasn’t bound to be healed.

“Nico, don’t you fucking die!” Gabriel growled, raising his voice progressively.

He continued to press his chest to the point where it was starting to get pointless. Goddard and the team couldn’t do anything but watch as Gabriel slammed his hands on Nico’s almost limbless body while throwing his entire energy on him. Eventually, Gabriel stopped while heavily panting. His hands were covered with Nico’s blood and went limp onto the surface. The fact that they were together in the Delta Force added further injury to his pain, like a bullet to the heart.

“Goddamn you, Nico,” he whimpered as the wine red blood reached the end of the door slide, dripping off the gap. “Goddamn you.”

* * *

**(1 Year Later)**

Even being awake, the alarm clock continued to beep without even stopping. Gabriel was already up, sitting on the side of his bed while staring down at the floor. Only dressed in worn sweatpants with his old dog tags, the rest of his body was not so pure. There were multiple healed wounds on his body, a healed gunshot wound on the waist with an exit and another on his right shoulder. There were several more on his back, including some healed burns. His right arm also had a healed burn wound. As the alarm beeped mindlessly, Reaper sighed, fed up and turned off the alarm clock.

* * *

**_8:23 AM, Local Time_ **

**_Rome, Italy_ **

**_Embassy of the United States_ **

**_May, 2018_ **

Blackwatch was never assigned any stations but the associates from NATO were kind enough to lend in the Embassy of the United States in Rome as the team’s station. The Embassy was big enough for Blackwatch to fit in their own quarters and their operation centers for their missions, similar to the CIA and the DSS. Gabriel parked his rented Fiat at the nearest parking garage and got out, dressed in all black rolled-up shirt and pants with a NATO ID badge, because Blackwatch isn’t an official unit. He didn’t have time for breakfast since he wasn’t much of an eater.

Gabriel had to meet up with Amélie as the two have a debrief with Major Salvatore of NATO. After getting checked by guards and processed, Gabriel picked up the FNG at the front entrance as ordered yesterday and made their way down the hallway, going into an elevator. While in the elevator, Gabriel briefly glanced at the FNG. He was a black guy with a temple fade haircut and a beard. He looked like any average soldier: standard build and six feet tall. He also wore a navy blue t-shirt with tan pants and carried a backpack.

Before he went to the meeting, Gabriel took the black guy to Blackwatch’s quarters. When the two entered the room, the team who were inside stopped what they were doing once Reaper stepped inside. All of the members were in their casual clothes. Sombra’s appearance has made some drastic changes for the past year. The shaved side grew back and her hair was cut short and styled into a pixie cut and she sported red highlights instead of purple. Their pilot, former US Marine pilot Tamara “ **Fio** ” LaPaglia, stood next to Sombra. 

“Who’s this guy, Gabriel?” Sombra asked, pointing at the black guy.

“This is...the FNG,” he answered. He didn’t sound enthusiastic. “Sorry, didn’t really catch your name.”

“Raymundo Owens. But you can call me **Ray** .”  

The team were surprised about the news since nothing bad happened after the death of a former member but nonetheless, none of them had a problem with the news. However, Sombra didn’t seem to like the new guy. Its like questioning a nobody in a top-secret covert unit sent to replace a previously deceased member. Gabriel also noticed that Amélie wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Where’s Lacroix?” He asked.

“Already waiting for you at the meeting.” Sombra replied, ignoring Ray as much as possible.

“Alright, while I’m at the meeting, you guys make Ray feel at home,” Reaper then turned to Ray. “And you...don’t cause any trouble while I’m gone.”

He replied with a nod. Shortly, Gabriel was out of the room and the door swung shut. There was nothing but silence surrounding the room as the team stared at Ray. The silence was eventually broken once McCree got up from the cases he was sitting on and approached Ray. His index finger was tapping intensely on his upper thigh as if he really wanted a cigar.

“Well, I suppose we make ya feel comfortable,” he held out his hand. “I’m McCree, Jesse McCree.”

Ray shook his hand back. “Nice to meet you.”

He seemed warm enough. McCree then let go of his hand.

“So, which branch you from?” He asked.

“Army, 75th Rangers. You?” Ray replied.

“Marines, Force Recon. Those were the days, partner.”

McCree then turned around and planned to introduce the team. He first gestured towards Moira.

“This is Moira, ex-Irish Army Ranger Wing. She’s our field medic but if you’re a bad guy who just got shot or just piss her off in general, she’ll murder you slowly and painfully.”   

Moria warmly smiled and waved like it was a normal thing. After a moment of awkward silence, McCree then pointed towards Fio.

“This is Fio, our pilot. When it comes to any sort of aircraft, she’ll fly ‘em.”

Fio simply smiled and nodded at him, prompting him to do the same. McCree then pointed to Sombra.

“Over there is Sombra, NSA’s top cybersecurity agent and hacker. Her past is a mystery and that's why the NSA want her. She’s wicked smart and asks no questions. Ask her to break into Elon Musk’s servers, she’ll get it done in no time.” When Ray looked at her, Sombra avoided eye contact. McCree wasn’t surprised at all. “Oh, don’t worry about it. She’s not so into new guys. She’ll soften up eventually.”

McCree turned towards Marvel where he was staring at Ray.

“That’s Marvel, fresh out of the US Air Force. He’s a pro with a fighter jet and he can take on just anybody with his hands. Trust me when I say you’ll only last three seconds on the mat.”

“Hey.” Marvel uttered without waving.

Ray nodded. McCree eventually got to the last part, pointing at the hooded guy in a grey sweatshirt leaning on the wall.

“And last and not least, Genji Shimada, our other hand-to-hand expert. Actually kicked Marvel’s ass a buncha times.”

“Once, actually!”

McCree ignored his comment and continued.

“Genji’s a former officer from the Special Assault Team. Had a great record of lockin' up many bad crooks, especially one of the most ruthless Yakuza clans of Tokyo.”

Genji only showed him a peace sign without a word.

“Widowmaker’s our leader’s second in command but she’s currently in a meeting with the boss. You might get to meet her later. I’m gonna assume it’s gonna be ‘bout our next mission so don’t get too comfy. But other than that...welcome to Blackwatch.”

McCree patted Ray on the shoulder with a smile before walking away, leaving Ray alone. As everybody else got back to whatever they were doing, Ray stood there, figuring out how to get used to being in a special black ops unit. It was quite hard, especially for new guys like him.

* * *

As soon as Gabriel and Amélie entered the briefing room, they were greeted by Major Salvatore, serving NATO for twenty years, sitting at the middle of the room with a desk containing folders along with two chairs. A pair of guards were also stationed at the corners. As the two sat down, they noticed the two folders conveniently placed for them.

“We have a situation in Zambia,” Salvatore stated. “Two days ago, a squad of peacekeepers from the United Nations were captured and publicly executed during their routine patrol by a local militia group. We caught the word when a group of villagers came to one of our nearest base of operations in Zambia with the decapitated heads of the peacekeepers.”

Gabriel opened up the folder and picked up a file, showing four separate pictures of men with blue berets. Underneath were some bullet points and additional notes with one of them by the name of ‘Ejner Lütken’ highlighted for whatever reason. Maybe he was the leader. Either way, Reaper had some divisive opinions on the decision.

“Obviously it was a stupid call to send in a four-man team unarmed into a bad neighborhood.” He said, leaning back on his chair.

“They were only ordered to observe and possibly maintain order there.” Amélie added.

“She’s right, Reyes,” Salvatore said. “Zambia is still a war-zone and the UN were trying to maintain the peace by using their hearts and minds, not automatic weapons.”

Gabriel scoffed. “I’ve seen the work the UN does and with all due respect, this shit ain’t working at all. It’s just making the situation worse. I hardly believe they’re even brave enough to handle this or even give a rat’s ass about it.”

Salvatore wasn’t fazed by his comment but he just handed Gabriel another folder. “Either way, this is a Blackwatch operation, Reyes. We’ve identified the militia who executed those peacekeepers.”

Gabriel flipped over the folder and took out the paper with a blurry photograph of a black man with braids and sunglasses, standing beside a couple of armed men in shemagh scarves.

“Your target is **Arno Macaba**. Younger brother of former warlord, Dede Macaba who was killed by the Namibian Defence Force five years ago. Arno is trying to finish what his brother started by taking full control of South Africa. They had control of both Zambia and Namibia earlier but ever since the death of Dede, Namibia is in the government's hands which leaves Zambia, the only hole left for Arno to fill. The NSA has managed to pinpoint his location at a large camp which is 3 miles away from the village where the UN peacekeepers were killed. Airstrikes are a no go because the NSA has also found out that the militia are using the villagers for labor and we can’t risk casualties or worse, have the CNN snoop around on NATO’s activities. Which is why we need you and your team on the ground to eliminate him. Keep the mission as quiet as possible. We can’t afford any traces leading to NATO. The C130 will be wheels up at 10. Good luck.”

After that, words were exchanged and the two left the room. They went down the corridor towards the elevator where they passed a man carrying some files. It was dead silent on their way back.

“Heard about the new teammate.” Amélie said, breaking the silence.

“You okay with that?” Gabriel asked.

“ _Oui_. You think I don’t like newcomers?”

“I do, actually. Hell, I don’t even want any more members on the team.”

Amélie chuckled for a moment. The two both stopped after arriving at the elevator. “There’s nothing wrong with having a new member on the team, Gabe. You didn’t say anything when Marvel first arrived.”

Everything went silent again as they stood together. The elevator sign above changed numbers.

“Considering what happened back in Ukraine, it shouldn’t be a big deal with the new guy on the team.”

Gabriel sighed, silently admitting she had a point but he was still concerned.

“Lets just hope the kid won’t screw up the mission and get himself or all of us killed.”

The elevator arrived just as he finished and they were silent again for the rest of the trip back to the quarters.

* * *

**_10:20 AM, Local Time_ **

**_Flying over Africa’s Airspace_ **

Prior to the boarding of the C130, everybody swapped into their compatible clothes to blend in the dark. Their weapons, each different, were also packed in containers for the mission. Marvel and Fio piloted the aircraft as part of their skills. Shortly, the aircraft went for the sky and made an estimated time of a twelve-hour trip to Zambia.

Two hours have passed during the flight and everybody has been minding their own business. As the aircraft rumbled and shook lightly on the sky, Ray looked around where the team were. Sombra and Genji were resting, McCree had earphones on while napping, probably listening to some country music by the looks of him and Widowmaker was writing something on a notepad. Moira was reading a book titled “The Human Anatomy” which seemed to unsettle Ray but he pretended as if it wasn’t a big deal. Sighing underneath his breath, Ray looked at the ring on his finger. A small smile slowly grew across his face.

“You’re married?”

Ray looked up and noticed Gabriel standing above him. He laid his finger off the ring.

“I am, sir.”

Gabriel nodded and handed him a small container. Ray looked at it in confusion before looking back at the leader.

“Leave the ring in the C130 once we get out,” Gabriel said. “We don’t let our enemy know what we have in life for them to use against us…”

Ray’s eyes slowly descended down to the surface of his ring. He had a point there.

“Plus you make us look bad. We’re still single.” Gabriel added.

That comment was enough to make Ray chuckle, brightening the tension a little bit. After taking the container from Gabriel, he left him to himself and Ray pulled the ring off his finger, placing it into the container. Just as he removed it, Ray seemed to feel a sense of guilt and pity. Maybe he never had taken the ring off for a while. Could be.

* * *

_**10** **:43 PM, Local Time** _

_**Zambia**_

_**Militia Camp** _

After arriving in Zambia, the team made another half hour ride towards the marked camp with the supplied helicopter. Fio landed them a few miles away from the camp before taking off. Apart from the other villages where it was pitch black, the camp was decently lit well enough to expose their presence. Prior to their mission, they all suited up in plate carriers although Marvel and Amélie had chest rigs and Kevlar under their clothes, ballistic helmets with night vision goggles, bandanas and ski masks except Marvel and Amélie and go bags.

First impressions of the camp: easy but looks don’t fool anyone. The voices coming from the camp seem to give away more than just a group of useless goons. Shouts and wails can be heard from a distance. It was also surrounded by a line of fence which doesn’t look professionally set up. Everybody else was fully armed.

While the rest of the team are moving to the camp, Sombra and Moira stayed back to keep watch in case any reinforcements arrive with Sombra using her personal tri rotor drone controlled by a tablet. The drone hovered above the camp where it was dark for anybody on the ground to see.

“Mini drone’s activated.” Sombra said on the comm.

The rest of the team moved through one part of the fence at the side of the entrance which was torn open where Gabriel suddenly raised a hand, prompting the team to freeze. In front of them was a guard in a tank top with a chest rig standing in an isolated area. Smoke was visible in front of him.

“Genji, take him out.” Reaper whispered, gesturing towards the guard.

Just as ordered, Genji moved forward while the team snuck behind the huts, consuming themselves in the shadows. The guard remained unaware of the green visor lighting up the shadows behind him. As the guard continued smoking, Genji slung his suppressed HK416C rifle. Once he was close enough, Genji went for the strike. He kicked the guard’s calf, sending him on one knee and wrapped his elbow around his neck. Genji pulled him away from the open and towards the dark while he held onto his neck tightly. Once he stopped struggling, Genji slowly placed him aside and finished him off with a suppressed P229 Elite.

“Clear.” He said with elusiveness within his tongue.

The team advanced from the shadows and towards the opening where the light was with their weapons raised.

“Shadow 2,” Gabriel ordered. “Take the overwatch position and prepare to provide cover once we capture our objective. Shadow 5, provide cover for Shadow 2. Shadow 3 and 7, take the east side of the camp. Shadow 8, with me. Engage all hostiles with discretion and silence. Now let’s move.”

Everybody moved out once Gabriel made a hand signal to confirm his command. Eventually, the team dispersed without looking back. Gabriel and Ray made their way to the center of the camp where activity was more active. There were several posts with loudspeakers positioned around the camp and if they were to be activated...

While the team moved on, Amélie advanced towards the area of makeshift huts. She side glanced the huts around her for a brief moment before moving past a guard sitting on a pile of crates while sharpening his machete. He had just seen her walk past him once he looked up. He let out a shout and grabbed his rifle, calling after her. Before he could move towards her, he loosened his grip on the rifle and slumped onto the ground, face first. Blood began to form from the surface of his face. Genji appeared from the shadows, aiming his HK416C to his body.

Amélie unsurprisingly paid little attention to the scene and continued to make her way towards one of the towers nearby. Genji simply went off and dispersed into the shadows. Widowmaker climbed onto the top of the tower and the first thing she noticed in front of her was a guard on a chair asleep. His rifle was also on the floor. Amélie slung her rifle away and took out a fiber wire attached to her belt.

Slowly walking up to the guard, she quickly wrapped the wire around his neck once she reached a suitable distance. The surprise attack was enough to jolt the unsuspecting guard awake, causing him to writhe around and make choking noises helplessly. Her strength was intense, having dug into the skin of the neck with the wire. He tried to reach for the wire holding him back, only to pull himself off the chair, giving Amélie an even deeper choke. Shortly, he began to relax and his hands went limp. She dragged his body to the corner and unwrapped the wire off his neck.

Amélie raised her suppressed HK417 with the safety off. She looked through her Leupold Mark 4 scope, revealing a much proper view of the camp. She adjusted her scope, focusing her sights on the other tower placed across the camp. Two guards, both awake and on duty. Without skipping a beat, she picked off the guard behind the one watching. He suddenly turned but he too was taken out, joining his partner’s fate. Thankfully, none of them fell off the tower. Soft smoke escaped the hole of the suppressor, disappearing into the sky. There was still enough bullets in the mag.

“This is Shadow 2, hostiles on the towers have been taken care of, over.” She said, tapping into her earpiece.

After the notification, Amélie caught sight of Gabriel and Ray below. She held her gaze at them, watching behind their backs.  

“Shadow 1 and 8, drone’s picking up three heat signatures in a hut, fifteen steps from your position. Possible location of the HVT, over.” Sombra said.

“Copy. Moving to that location, out.” Gabriel replied.

As Ray and Gabriel walked down between the huts, they noticed a figure a couple of steps away from them. They approached him closer and they find a guard in a shemagh scarf and a teal striped polo shirt smoking while leaning against a pile of weapon crates with his back facing the duo. Gabriel slung his LWRC M6A1 carbine over his shoulder and took out a knife from his sleeve as he slowly approached the guard. Ray followed him and hid behind the crates he was on.

Once the time was right, Gabriel grabbed the guard’s shoulder and pulled him onto the crate’s surface. He plunged the knife into the guard’s torso rapidly before dragging his body off the crate. Blood was left behind on the surface. Just then, Ray caught another guard walk out of a hut near them. He had just discovered the absence of the guard when Ray aimed his SIG 516 at him. He opened suppressed rapid rounds, bringing the unsuspecting guard down with bullets in the torso. Reaper stood up from the body and noticed the dead guard Ray shot before equipping his rifle and continuing to move. While the two searched for the hut, Ray froze on the spot after looking at something shocking.

Through a wide gap from the huts, there was an open field heavily lit as if it was important. There were guards with rifles supervising with kegs of water placed around the area. Ray stared at the villagers digging something up at the middle of the field. He counted more than a dozen children, five slender and frail elders and almost half of the women. Even worse, he discovered a pair of them pregnant. Ray remained fixated on the field, having that urge to save the villagers. His hand on the foregrip tightened and his finger on the verge of slipping on the trigger. Suddenly, he felt a hand slap his shoulder and spun him, directly towards Gabriel.

“Hey, we’re not here for them. Macaba’s our mission. Let's move.”

They continued moving although Ray was still focused on the villager’s suffering. Shortly, they found the hut with their target, evident by the flag attached to the front door. The two stacked up next to the door, holding their rifles tightly. They were able to hear muffled voices from the room. Gabriel tapped on his earpiece, exchanging communication.

“This is Shadow 1. Me and Shadow 8 are preparing to breach on possible HVT location, out.” He said.

Gabriel made a hand signal, indicating breach and Ray nodded. The two got their rifles ready and Gabriel turned the doorknob open. They went in, aiming their rifles. There were three men standing by the desk with their backs on them and the man in the middle had the same dreads from the picture but with a floral shirt and worn cargo pants. In front of them were some pictures attached on a board. That was definitely their target, Macaba.

One of the guards wearing a dirty sweatshirt under a Kevlar vest had just looked behind his shoulder to discover some uninvited intruders and said something in his own language to Macaba. The other guard also caught them once he let out some noise. However, they weren’t quick enough once Ray and Gabriel dispatched them instantly. Ray fired suppressed bursts at the guard with Kevlar to his nose and mouth while Gabriel fired rounds at the other guard to the forehead.

Both of Macaba’s guards fell to the ground with blood sloshing from their heads onto the wooden floor along with their rifles. Just as they took care of them, Macaba had fast reflexes to grab an M1911 from the desk. Ray had just noticed Macaba aim his pistol, directly at Reaper’s line of sight.

“Look out!”

Ray swiftly stepped in front of Gabriel just as Macaba pulled the trigger. The bullet struck Ray’s left chest, stinging him hard. The loud gunshot rang across the entire room and possibly the majority of the camp. As he fell to the ground, Gabriel caught the chance and shot Macaba, hitting him in the upper arm. Macaba let out a shriek and pressed his gun to the bicep before trying to retaliate by aiming back while leaving his arm to soak in blood. Gabriel quickly finished him off with the 5.56 bullets sawing into his chest. As he slammed onto the desk, his pistol went off at the same time, hitting the wall. Gabriel approached his body and shot at what once was the would-be warlord further with a suppressed Glock 17, staining the desk and the photographs with blood.

Confirming the target was taken out, Gabriel slipped his pistol back into his waist holster and ran up towards the new guy on the ground. _That bastard’s crazy,_  he thought. He bent down near Ray who was feeling for the spot where the bullet hit him. Surprisingly, he was fine.

“I'm good, sir.” Ray assured. “Round only caught the plate.”

_Gabriel silently sighed with relief. “Then get the fuck up. We gotta move now. Everyone sure as hell heard that shot by now.”_

Gabriel held out his arm, prompting Ray to grab him by the forearm. After getting Ray up, he handed him his SIG 516. As Ray ejected the mag in exchange for a new one, he took point with Reaper following. They opened the door and prepared to hit back with anything the militia’s got. Through Widowmaker’s scope, all of the guards have begun to take their duties even serious and ran around, searching for the gunshot while the villagers stood in confusion.

_“Guys,_ you got hostiles moving towards your location, over.” Sombra warned from the comm.

“Copy we’re exfiling now. HVT has been neutralized.” Reaper replied.

Amélie moved her focus onto Gabriel and Ray. They stopped and took cover behind some rusty sedans as several guards approached their position. Amélie shifted her scope and aimed at the guards firing at the intruders. With immense accuracy, she managed to take out the group trying to waste them. Meanwhile, McCree and Marvel made their advance to the east entrance with McCree leading the escape. Suddenly, the two get a warning from Sombra.

“Shadow 3, you got three incoming hostiles approaching from the left corner.”  

Just as she said so, two guards ran past the left corner of the hut in front of them, just noticing the two. Before they could react, McCree mowed them down like cheese with his modified M4A1. However, the last one wasn’t present. Marvel left a signal, prompting McCree to stand by while holding his rifle high. He hid behind the corner and slightly raised his suppressed FN Five Seven, the only weapon he brought with him. He moved a few feet back to make sure his shadow didn’t give away his position. The guard’s shadow below him got closer and once he appeared from the corner, Marvel shot a round at his foot, causing the guard to shriek and lose balance. Marvel shot his head as he fell forwards. Once the guards were dispatched, the two took a brief breather as if they ran a mile.

“Thanks for the heads up, Shadow 4!” McCree said.

There was a sudden pause. “Not a single thank you for my _Azúcar?”_

“That thing’s got a name?”

“It’s the only reason you two are still alive.”

McCree turned towards Marvel, only to receive a glance from him. Marvel slightly waved a hand from his hip.

“It’s kind of a cool name.” He commented.

Meanwhile, Amélie continued to cover for Gabriel and Ray, taking out guards trying to approach them with their rifles. At this point, most of the guards were aware that one of their tower guards aren’t doing their job. Which was why Genji remained in the shadows, taking care of guards trying to reach the tower. After emptying the rest of the mag on the guards, Amélie ejected the mag with a tap on the mag release. As the empty clip bounced on the wood, she reattached a new clip from her pouch and retracted the port.

She regained her sight through her scope, noticing the villagers spinning around in confusion. Some of the guards were rushing towards them and mouthing orders at them while raising their rifles, scaring them back into the digging point.

“Shadow 3 and 7 are out.” McCree notified on the radio.

Elsewhere, Gabriel and Ray arrive at the eastern entrance but stop at the very spot. They crouched and positioned their rifles behind them, aiming across the area.

“Shadow 2 and 5,” Gabriel said. “Me and Shadow 8 have reached the east entrance. We’ll provide covering fire for your escape. Get outta there now.”

“Copy, Shadow 2 out.” Amélie replied.

Amélie lowered her rifle and climbed down the ladder, landing back on the surface where Genji was waiting. As they head towards the east entrance, Amélie took point while Genji covered their rear. He still remained a stranger with that ski mask under his helmet. Shortly, a group of guards armed with rifles appeared in front of them and opened fire. Amélie hid behind a parked pickup truck while Genji disappeared into the shadows. As they continued to fire at them, Amélie picked off a flashbang grenade from her chest rig.

“Flashbang!” She exclaimed, tossing it out in the open to where most of the guards were.

There was a thunderous explosion, ceasing the gunfire. It appeared the militia has never heard of a flashbang before. Switching her rifle into automatic mode, she appeared from the truck and opened fire with rapid bursts, gunning down the blinded guards. At the same time, Genji appeared from the corner and shot down the remaining two guards, kicking one of them into a pile of crates. The two continued to head out of the open.

“Shadow 2 and 5, you have two hostiles about to cut you off.” Sombra warned.

As usual, two more masked guards appeared from the corner of the remaining huts. Amélie quickly slung her rifle and pulled out her suppressed MK 23 from her waist holster. With extreme precision, she dropped them down one by one with a headshot for each. As they both slumped to the ground, the two walked past their bodies and headed off where the gunfire has seemingly started to die out.

The two finally made it to the east entrance where Gabriel, Ray and the rest of the team were waiting. As they escaped to the extraction area, Ray hesitated for a moment. He looked behind, feeling concerned for the villagers who were still in the camp. A couple of seconds later, Ray eventually turned away and caught up with his team.

* * *

_**11:25 AM, Local Time** _

_**Aviano Air Base, Italy** _

After another flight back to Italy, the C130 touched down at the Aviano Air Base miles away from Rome. As the team walked down on the platform with their weapons in their crates, Ray slipped his wedding ring back on while everybody else went on their way. Several vehicles passed them and loud aircraft occupied the airfield.

“Hey Ray, hang back for a bit.”

Just as he stepped on the surface, Ray heard Gabriel call him. While the others walked away, Ray got back into the aircraft where Gabriel leaned against the side. Ray felt uneasy, worried about his actions earlier. It would make sense since he wanted to try to rescue the villagers from the militia. Reaper let out a sigh before looking back at Ray, uncrossing his arms.

“Listen,” he started. “I appreciated your intention to protect me back at that camp but you need to understand that this unit is not your average team. I have responsibilities and I’ll be damned if I lose anymore of you. So I’ll keep this brief. Don’t ever try to sacrifice your life again just to save mine. I also get that you wanted to help those people back at the camp, believe me, but you must understand that the mission comes first. There were other ways we could save those villagers without getting them killed in the crossfire.”

The scariest thing about what Gabriel said was...he was right. Who knew what could’ve happened if he actually did let the villagers loose. This would’ve resulted in the villagers getting hit and possibly killed in the crossfire. Gabriel sighed once again and looked back at Ray with a slight sight of gratitude.

“Other than that...you did good.” He said, patting him on the shoulder.

As Gabriel walked past him and stepped onto the surface, Ray could only stand there wondering. He looked back at Gabriel who was still heading off while the vehicles passed and soldiers marched away. Ray still felt uncertain about his position in a black ops unit.

* * *

**_1:00 PM Local Time_ **

**_Rome, Italy_ **

**_Embassy of the United States_ **

While the rest of the team stayed in the embassy doing whatever they usually do, Gabriel had just finished his report on his mission for NATO and eventually took the rest of his alone time on the balcony on the third floor. Although there were guards patrolling the area, it didn’t bother him. In front of him was the open view of the city of Rome. The baby blue sky occupied the horizon with no sign of any clouds. From a distance, he watched a plane silently fly off above and beyond.

“I knew I would find you here.”

Gabriel didn’t need to look behind. The French feminine voice was enough to give away her presence. As he remained attached to the horizon, Amélie approached beside him, joining him.

“Guess the rookie did alright for his first mission.” She said.

“He did.” Gabriel replied, trying to drive the conversation away.

“Then what seems to bother you?”

It was normal for Amélie to be persistent. She always found out, eventually. That’s what makes her good at her job. After all, she was his second in command and the deadliest of the team. Gabriel sighed deeply and took his hands out of his pockets.

“The rookie took a bullet for me.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Amélie asked. _“Je ne comprends pas._ He saved your life. _”_

“Yeah, but he almost died. Who knows what could’ve happened if the bullet penetrated the armor.”

She wasn’t surprised. It was a normal thing since she was with him for years.

“Gabe, we all knew the risks when it came to jobs like this and you forgot that it’s our job to keep all of us in one piece.”

Gabriel stayed silent. He didn’t look in the mood to continue the conversation. Amélie got his message and started to turn away.

“Maybe you’re right,” he suddenly said. “I just hate losing more people on this team.”

Amélie didn’t expect him to reply at all. She sympathized with his idea of losing another member close. It started to remind her about her loss of someone dear to her. Amélie eventually walked away, leaving Gabriel to himself.


	2. The Captain’s Den

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s a new chapter for you guys! Apologies for the long delay but hopefully the next chapter will be out a bit sooner. 
> 
> In the meantime, here’s art I commissioned from the talented Superrisu. It's only on her Tumblr though.

**_09:34 AM, Local Time_ **

**_Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo_ **

**_May, 2018_ **

It was just a couple of days later before Ray was called in for his second mission. It was abrupt and direct when the Embassy called him while he was in bed during the morning. After their usual process; debrief, preparation and a flight in the C130 the night before, he and the team arrived at their destination for their mission. From what Ray’s heard, the team were in a town near Kinshasa to scout out their target who is a leader of a militia that runs this town.

The team positioned themselves at an abandoned warehouse built on the hills, 100 meters away from the bustling town. Their target was at a large, heavily guarded mansion placed in the middle of the town. Armed trigger-happy men with standard weaponry were found patrolling the mansion’s gate and the yards. Everybody else that wasn’t busy other than Gabriel and McCree sat back and waited while some made some double checks with their guns to pass the time. Others did what they usually did.

“I bet he’s feelin’ real comfy living down there.” McCree muttered, holding the SOFLAM which was attached to a tripod along with a laser directed at the mansion.

“For a tyrannical nut job, he sure does like to hide behind innocent people.” Gabriel replied.

“Least the blast radius ain’t near anybody, from what I can see.”

And he was right. There didn’t seem to be any sight of civilians, other than buildings that were around the mansion. 

“Shadow 1, this is Pinball. Closing in on target. ETA one minute, over.” The drone pilot tasked in bombing the mansion said as if he was on a rush. 

Gabriel lowered the binoculars he was using. “Copy. Target’s still inbound, out.”    

While the two kept watch, Ray wasn’t that enthusiastic of the current plan. 

“I don’t understand,” he said. “Why can’t we just go in there and take him out right now? Would save us a lot of time.” 

“Orders. That’s why.” Gabriel answered.

“And we’re just gonna let these video gamers drop a bomb from a drone when there’s a possibility the target could still be alive?”

“Don’t be an idiot, rookie,” Sombra snapped. “The reason we’re not down there is because we weren’t told to go down there.”

Shortly, Gabriel caught sight of a small missile from the sky, descending through the clouds and targeting right at the mansion. Not a second later, the missile landed on the mansion and everything went loud. The blast erupted and large puffs of smoke covered the mansion and around it. The shockwave radius reached the town but it wasn’t enough to hurt anybody. Nobody was guaranteed to survive such blast inside.

“Pinball, this is Shadow 1,” Gabriel said. “Strike on target successful. I repeat, strike on target successful, over.”

“Copy, Shadow 1,” Pinball replied. “Drone’s pulling out.”

His communication with Pinball cut off. Gabriel placed the binoculars and his HK416 into his gobag and got up.

“Alright team, pack it up. We’re leaving.” he ordered.

The team started to gather their belongings while McCree disassembled the SOFLAM. As the team packed their things, Ray looked over to the window where the smoke made itself the spot of attraction. He still felt that uneasiness tingle his body.  Ray still thought they should’ve just busted into the mansion and take everybody out. That would’ve saved plenty of time instead of sitting at the back and watching drones do the job. But if he had a say, he would take it up to the chairpersons. And it was not easy to chat with the tops about his complaints. 

* * *

**_10:57 PM, Local Time_ **

**_Rome, Italy_ **

**_Via Margutta_ **

After another long flight back to Rome, the team were dismissed once they arrived at the Embassy. Ray walked out of the building and hitched a taxi nearby. He stopped a few meters away, paid the driver and walked the rest home. The town was quiet as usual. The lamps illuminated the narrow street as Ray walked past the closed cafes and stores, alone while holding his backpack in the mildly warm night. The trees and the espaliers surrounding the street rustled to the quiet wind. If he had some free time, Ray would visit the Piazza del Popolo for some photos and maybe the Colosseum if he had further time. He arrived at the apartment he rented down at Via Margutta and opened the door, which let a rusty _creak_ spread through the corridor.

The light inside was making Ray drowsy, especially with the jet lag. But he was already used to it by then. He had been thinking of his wife, Dahlia for a while. He hasn’t heard from her since his arrival at Rome. Maybe she had been busy at work. Who knows. She may have written a letter sent to him. Ray went up to the mailboxes and unlocked one of them open and to his surprise, there was something sent to him.

It was only an orange folder and nothing else. Ray took it out and looked at it. It was thin and soft to the touch. There was nothing written on it. No message, just a pasted sticker embroidered with his name and address of his rented apartment. He took it with him on the way back to his unit. 

As he closed the door, Ray ripped open the folder while walking up the stairs. Tossing his keys into a small basket in the kitchen, he looked inside the folder. There was only an envelope inside. When he pulled it out, he noticed a folded piece of paper attached to the envelope wrapped by a yellow rubber band. He slipped the paper off and unfolded it, finding a written paragraph. And it was for him:

\---

_Ray,_

_Please understand this is for the best of our future. I can no longer be a wife to a soldier who would risk his life out in the field. Please don’t waste your time to call or look for me just to bring us back. It won’t work. I'm sorry for doing this to you but you must understand that you were never going to leave this life and you never will. I hope you find someone who would accept you as you are._

_And while you’re at it, please don’t get yourself killed._

_Dahlia_

\---

Ray couldn’t express it but he felt heartbreak inside him. The hole was empty again. It was as if his life was being tossed into the ocean and left to rot on the bottom of the sea. But she was right. There was no way he could leave his life as a soldier on the field. He already made that choice and there was no going back. Ray didn’t know what was making him stay but he knew it was something about the rush.

Lowering the letter down, Ray looked at the envelope he was still holding. He placed the letter on the dinner table and opened up the envelope where he pulled out a single sheet of folded paper. After opening it up, he stared down at the contents of the paper, one word that stood out the most.

_Divorce._

* * *

**_11:04 PM, Local Time_ **

**_Rome, Italy_ **

**_Vicolo Cellini_ **

A metallic tap as McCree clinked his glass of beer against Sombra’s, frothy layers of bubbles gushed around the rim before they both took a swig. After being dismissed, they both decided to go out together and get some drinks down at a bar around Vicolo Cellini. They’ve been doing this ever since she joined Blackwatch. McCree found her easy to get along as they shared similar pasts. 

The bar was small but enough to fit a soccer team, especially during the brink of midnight. Around the two, bar-goers downed their drinks and mingled amongst each other or to themselves while Italian music blared from one of the portable speakers, loud enough to drown out the chatter. The lighting inside was as if it was a flashy nightclub. As they talked about the usual things, Sombra told him of a mission she did while she was in the NSA. From what McCree’s heard, the NSA was investigating a Mexican energy company for embezzlement, bribery, anything else that was dodgy as hell. McCree had heard on the news about the data leak which tainted its reputation but he never who did it. Until now.

“So let me get this straight. You were the one who exposed Guillermo Portero, the CEO of LumériCo for fraud, right?” He asked.

“Hell yeah, it was,” Sombra replied. “Leaked every dirt of that _cabrón_ everywhere on the internet, including lawsuits on the company that has been buried for the past decade. I almost got chewed out by my boss for being reckless.”

“Instead you got a promotion or somethin’?”

“Yeah, you could say that. And guess what else I did once I was done?”

“What?”

“You know those videos of Portero doing the nasty on several Latinas in a yacht?”

“Yeah?” He replied. However, he began to realize something from Sombra’s tilting head and her growing smirk. “That was you? You leaked those videos?”

Sombra gives out a nod and McCree started to laugh. 

“I’m starting to see why people like you a lot!” He said.

“Yeah, you should hear what the President of Mexico had to say about him!” Sombra replied.

The night passed and more drinks were downed, shifting from beers to some more intense drinks. McCree was surprised a girl like Sombra was able to take that much cognac and not get intoxicated. He knew her for two years and of all the women he knew, Sombra was by far the soberest drinking partner he ever met. Not to mention the number of drinks she had the first time he took her out for the night. As she took a swig of her cognac, McCree poured himself another glass of Jim Beam and downed it completely as usual. 

"Hey, _vaquero_. Wanna bet?" Sombra asked.

McCree nodded. “Shoot."

"That the new guy won’t last another mission."

He chuckled, taking it as a joke. His face was just about red as a dust storm.

"You're pulling my chain, right?" McCree said. 

"No, I'm serious," she replied. "I’m betting a hundred bucks that this _idiota_ won’t be around by the next day.”

When McCree looked up at her, his grin began to fade. She was smirking but her face wasn’t flushed nor did she look drunk. She was enthusiastic about it but in a completely wrong way.

“Y-you’re for real?” He asked.

Sombra hummed, nodding. McCree was speechless at this point he couldn’t find the words he needed.

“I...umm…”

“Come on! Don’t tell me you like that new guy, do you?”

McCree lets out a sigh and leaned towards her. Even though he was still half-drunk, McCree still kept his sober ego together.

“I don’t get it, Sombra. Like, what’s your problem with the rookie anyway? I mean, he’s been doing a fine job so far. It’s not like he’s done anything wrong to you.”

Sombra suddenly went quiet. Her smirk faded away but her eyes tried its best to hide her grief. That gave McCree enough time to figure out what's up.

“Unless...it’s about him. Isn’t it?”

Sombra sighed as if she already had this kind of conversation before.

“You wouldn’t understand.” She said, looking away from him.

“Well, I do understand wishing for someone who’s done nothing wrong to die ain’t no way to make things better.” 

“It's just-” Sombra threw her arms up and flapped them onto the table in submission. “I just don’t get why we need a new guy for this team. Nico was already good enough. We don’t need anybody else to replace him.”

“Point taken but still, wishing for someone to die ain’t gonna fix anything.” McCree said.

Sombra didn’t respond. Normally, she was more comfortable with McCree ever since she joined two years ago. Something was up with her but McCree couldn’t figure out what it was and why. But from what he’s seeing, Sombra didn’t look to be in the mood to protest or listen to any more from him. She downed her cognac and stood up, pushing the chair back.

“I gotta go. See you around, McCree.” She said while turning away. 

McCree watched Sombra head out to the front door before disappearing outside. As the loud Italian music continued to play and bar-goers droned on, McCree looked down at the bottle of Jim Beam placed near the unfinished cognac. He sighed as he poured himself another glass. By the next morning, he probably wouldn’t remember the number of drinks he had.

* * *

**_06:30 AM, Local Time_ **

**_Rome, Italy_ **

**_Embassy of the United States_ **

Unlike everybody else, Genji was sharply earlier than his team. He didn’t blame them. He was still used to the usual routine during his time at the yakuza. How long was it since he talked about his life as a son of a brutal yakuza leader? Genji never wanted to talk about it, especially about that time when he tried to stop his brother from killing him. Any question that was related to his past, Genji would shut it down before they could even finish.

He sat down on a chair with his mug of tea and his phone, sinking down onto the seat’s cushion material. Straightening his posture, Genji set his tea on the table and opened up the messaging app on his phone. 

_Genji [6:31]: How did the self-defense lesson go yesterday?_

It took a moment for his friend to respond.

_Angela [6:33]: pretty well, thanks for asking. Me and Fareeha sparred to wrap up the day._

_Genji [6:33]: that’s good to hear. You always wanted to learn how to protect yourself._

_Angela [6:34]: yeah, a doctor’s gotta have a hobby, right?_

Genji softly chuckled to himself as he grabbed his tea from the table and took a short sip.

“How’s it that you’re always the first one here?” 

Genji looked up and noticed Marvel standing near the doorframe, wearing a navy polo shirt with matching jeans and a black cap on top. A jacket was draped over his right forearm. He didn’t hear him open the door, let alone know he was there.

“When you’re a warrior, you follow the rules that apply. Being tardy is one that is not taken lightly.” Genji said.

Marvel nodded. “I see you live up to some strict rules. ”

“That’s how it is when you’re raised as a Shimada.” 

Genji placed his mug back on the table and looked back to his phone. The door closed as he looked away. Once he checked, there was a new message.

_Angela [6:35]: still in Rome, I assume?_

Genji quickly typed up his reply. 

_Genji [6:35]: Yes. Might have to stay for another month._

He pressed send. It let out a high pitched tone from the phone, loud enough to catch someone’s attention.

“Who are you texting?” Marvel asked. 

“A friend.” Genji replied without looking up.

“Friend? Never knew you had friends.”

Genji glanced up, facing his eyes. “Everybody has one.”

“Makes sense.” 

Genji looked away from Marvel and drank his tea. At this point, he wasn’t up for a conversation. He was always that kind of person who preferred the silence.  

“Guess I’ll just grab myself a snack,” Marvel said. “I’ll leave you with your friend.”

Genji drank his tea as Marvel walked away with his hands in his pockets. Once the door closed, he looked up from his phone. The room was once again empty except for Marvel’s jacket draped over one of the chairs. Genji looked around briefly before facing the screen of his phone, finding another message in front of him.

_Angela [6:36]: got to go. Patient just got admitted in_

_Genji [6:36]: alright. See you soon._

He slipped his phone back into his pockets when there was no response. 

* * *

**_8:11 AM, Local Time_ **

Gabriel entered the meeting room with Amélie where Major Salvatore waited for them. There was another operation for them, although they already completed one yesterday. The desk that was in the middle had two folders placed for the two. They sat down and opened up their folders. The photo attached to the papers showed a black and white picture of a man in his mid-50s with a plump head topped with a black beret and a short sleeve cargo shirt sitting on his wide shoulders. The same man from Kinshasa.

“What’s this, Major? We already killed this guy.” Gabriel asked, holding out the folder.

“That’s what I’m about to explain, Reyes,” Salvatore said. “As you can see, your target has cheated death. Mwikiza Bodho AKA. Captain Congo was supposed to be taken out by the drone strike yesterday morning. However, our team managed to dig into the reports from the Kinshasa police and no documents related to his death can be found.”

“So he was never at the mansion?” 

“No, he was but we believe he managed to slip away with a severe amount of burns.”

“Did you check again?”

Salvatore nodded. “Yes but to no avail. As I was saying, intel analysts has picked up some satellite images and found him getting his wounds treated at an elementary school several miles away from Kinshasa which was abandoned during the Second Congo War and is now being used as the militia’s stronghold.”

“How many men are in there protecting him?” Amélie asked.

“Seven or more. There’s a possibility there’s going to be more men to pick him up once he’s finished treatment.”   

“Let me guess. Another drone strike?” Gabriel sunk back and crossed his arms.

“No. This time, your team is going there to kill him in person so you can remind Bodho nobody’s untouchable.”

“That shoulda been the final decision in the first place, rather than a damn drone.” 

“I’m with Gabriel on this one but the drone strike took a big toll on Bodho’s army.” Amélie said. 

“Well, now’s your chance to retire Bodho for good,” Salvatore replied. “This is a six-man-team mission, on the ground and as always, keep it as quiet as possible. This must not be traced back to us.”

* * *

**_02:43 AM, Local Time ~~~~_**

**_Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo_ **

Arriving at Kinshasa was no different from yesterday. The team geared up on helmets fitted with night vision goggles, plate carriers and suppressed UMP-45s for their mission. Widowmaker, however, brought her personal rifle while Marvel took a Glock 17 with an Osprey suppressor and a flashlight attachment with him. They boarded the MI-24W stationed for them with their pilot inside and flew off to their destination. The helicopter hovered over the barely lit streets loudly but their altitude was high enough to avoid disturbing the peaceful night. 

As time passed, the helicopter flew past the quiet houses a few meters near the forest. The team was mostly quiet throughout the flight. Ray stared at the ground of the helicopter, listening to the muffled rotors flapping from above. Out of all the team, he was dead quiet for the entire day. It was unusual for him. Maybe he was feeling down throughout the entire day. Maybe it was the divorce papers he had to sign while sustaining painful emotions.

“Hey, rookie.” 

Ray looked up, back into the real world and turned to McCree beside him.

“You good?”

Ray nodded, trying his best not to blurt out his dejection.

“Listen, if you’re still pissed about not going in and killing that Congo pal in person, this mission will make it up to you.”

He nodded again and looked away. “I’m okay. Just wanna concentrate on the mission.”

Ray didn’t hear from McCree afterwards. He didn’t want to let personal matters get in the way of his job. He had a mission to do and thinking about something too personal would endanger not only him but his team. Ray may feel like he let his wife down but if there’s one thing he can try to do, he would keep himself safe.

A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination near a deserted village. The helicopter slowly lowered down to the ground, sweeping dust and dead grass with the rotors. The headlights shone upon a rusted sign planted near the gates: _Numbani_ _Elementary School_. The doors slid open and the team hopped out with their weapons ready. Ray got out last. Shortly, the helicopter lifted up and flew away from their sight.

“Let’s go.” Gabriel ordered, leading the team.

Ray jogged after the team past the front gate, taking them to a long, narrow path with trees and bushes surrounding them. As they trekked up a small hill, faint chirps and croaking noises echoed through the bush. Shortly, they arrived at the main gate of the school with the sign next to it bigger than the one from the entrance. 

The school’s entrance was completely empty and poorly lit, the team had to put on their night vision goggles. The schoolyard at the front was filled with dead trees and overgrown grass. Several tents, weapon crates, power generators with scattered cords and banners were placed at the playground. A couple of vehicles were parked around the yard. Some of the scribbled drawings and paintwork of the school buildings have outgrown itself, degrading its color and any soul it once had. As the team advanced through the yard, they closed in towards one of the classroom buildings with their weapons raised. 

“Shadow 2, take the Overwatch position by the classroom building to your east.” Gabriel ordered.

“Copy.” She replied and moved away from the team.

While Widowmaker headed towards the other classroom building, the rest of the team went up the stairs leading to the door entrance. McCree and Marvel approached the door entrance and stopped. McCree pushed the door open, letting out a typical creaking noise. The team passed them by, entering the school building. McCree and Marvel entered last once everybody else was in. 

“Genji, take point.” Gabriel said.

The masked Japanese nodded and moved past Gabriel, leading the way. The hallway was pitch black empty with small chunks of rubble scattered around each corner. There were several classrooms on each side with broken windows, rusted lockers and overturned furniture. As they moved cautiously, the team heard muffled voices above them, through the thin ceiling. Ray noticed a blood trail on the floor which lead to the left in front of them.

The team followed Genji who was tracking down the blood trail, taking them up the half-paced staircase. Ray looked around and discovered a bloodied handprint stamped on the wall next to him. While they made their way to the upper floor, Ray looked behind his shoulders with doubt before turning away. 

The team approached down the hallway of the upper floor where there was a hanging pipe on the ceiling. Shortly, Genji stopped by the classroom to their left where the blood trail ended. Muffled voices were heard from the room. The team stacked up beside the door slowly to avoid applying pressure to the creaky wooden floor. After a countdown to three by Gabriel, he moved aside and kicked the door open.

The team stormed in one by one, opening fire on the surprised soldiers. They gunned down several of them who were unprepared. Ray didn’t notice any sign of their target. Two remaining soldiers managed to dive away from the gunfire and entered another room to their right. Gabriel and McCree quickly ran up to the door and stacked up next to it. Ray was just approaching the door when he heard something assemble loudly. And then there was a _kerchunk_.

“Incoming!” Gabriel yelled.

Ray had just heard him before he was suddenly pulled away by the collar. Before he knew it, .50 cal bullets penetrated through the door. It shredded the wooden door apart within minutes.

“Holy shit!” Ray heard Marvel say through the gunfire.

For a band of working-class goons, the militia was quite well supplied. That machine gun was strong enough to outnumber a small convoy in an open area. Suddenly, the firing ceased and loud clicks followed up. There was then desperate voices from the other room. Guess not every African militia knows how to handle a machine gun and the fact they’re taking their sweet ass time fixing their gun gave the team a chance to retaliate.

Gabriel took a grenade from his vest, pulled the pin off and threw it through the gap of the shredded door. As the grenade rolled down, the voices rocketed from struggle to panic accompanied by frantic footsteps. Then, an explosion erupted and the noises stopped. Gabriel and McCree stormed in and cleared the area, taking out the remaining soldiers hiding behind desks with several weapon crates on it. Ray followed Genji and Marvel inside as they checked the corners. Ray found the DSHK machine gun on the ground with the bipod scattered around the plastered floor. 

“Clear!” McCree called out. 

“Any sign of the HVT?” Gabriel asked.

“Negative!”

Ray walked past McCree and went out of the classroom, stopping by the hallway. He glanced to his right to where the staircase was and then turned to his opposite side. He caught sight of a small figure down the hallway. Ray aimed his UMP-45 and opened fire. The bullets slipped away, causing the figure to run off.

“Got eyes on possible HVT!” Ray called before making his chase.

He ran after the figure down the hallway, eager to take him out. He was definitely the target. There was no reason for any soldier to run away. Ray caught up with the figure running down the stairs and without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. Just in a second, the figure fell over and rolled down the stairs loudly before slamming onto the wall. But Ray was done with him yet. He depleted his entire mag on his body as he walked down the stairs and once it was empty, he switched to his suppressed Beretta 92 and continued to shoot his lifeless heap. The pistol clicked and Ray was about to eject the mag before a hand appeared in front of him and held onto the slide off his gun.

“Easy, partner, easy,” Ray looked up and noticed McCree beside him, urging him to lower his pistol. “He’s already a goner.”

He looked back at the corpse which was now filled with bullet holes as well as his blood-soaked clothes and loosely wrapped bandages.

“Just making sure.” Ray replied, flipping the safety back on. He felt a sense of satisfaction from this.

Gabriel then bent down by the body. It wasn’t easy to tell since he was completely pelted with bullets. Maybe Ray went a little overkill with the corpse. After a moment, Gabriel reached out to his go-bag.

“Yep,” he said as he pulled out a camera. “That’s Bodho.” 

As he took the photos for NATO’s confirmation, Ray glanced back and noticed Marvel and Genji catching up to them. Once Gabriel was done, his earpiece buzzed.  

“Shadow 2 to Shadow 1. Status.” Widowmaker said.

“Shadow 1 to Shadow 2, HVT has been eliminated. We’re moving out, over.” Gabriel replied as he stood up.

As the team walked down the hallway towards the door, there was another update from Widowmaker.

“Shadow 2 to Shadow 1, I’m detecting multiple vehicles approaching the school gates.”

The team stopped once Gabriel froze. Ray could hear a faint engine rumble from outside. He looked over towards the entrance of the school by the end of the hallway. Reaper remained silent.

“I’m counting approximately fourteen armed hostiles exiting the vehicles. Several of them are about to head into your location, over.”

From Ray’s view, there were only five of them and a large group of soldiers heading their way. If they were to take every single one of them out, the team would merely have pure luck on their side. And it was not easy for Reaper to explain a messy shootout with one of the dangerous militias of Congo. Reaper turned towards his team and gestured them to follow him, leading them into one of the classrooms to their right. 

“Shadow 1 to Shadow 2, hold your fire. We’re letting them pass, over.” Gabriel said. 

He lifted his finger off the earpiece and waved the team down while crouching under the window.

“Keep your heads down. Now.” He whispered. 

The team began to hide behind anything they can fit. Ray hid behind the right side of the door while Gabriel shuffled into a prone position. Shortly, the doors swung open and Ray caught sight of armed soldiers with bare arms and chest rigs from the corner of his eye. Some of them had loose cargo shirts and dirty bandanas. The men chattered amongst each other while passing by the classrooms, unaware of the team’s presence. 

Once they were in a safe distance, Gabriel got up and peered over the windows for a moment before cocking his head sideways. 

“We’re clear. Move.”

The team ran out of the classroom and back to the yard. By the time they were out, the soldiers would’ve found their leader’s body by now and would be relentlessly hunting down anyone responsible. But it would be too late. 

“Shadow 1 to Shadow 2, we’re in the clear, over.”

“Copy, Shadow 1. Moving out.”

As the team went past the basketball court where it was now filled with Jeeps, Ray glanced over to the building where Widowmaker was. There was no sign of her but earlier, he heard she was experienced in using the environment to her advantage during escapes. They made it to the front gate where they walked back down the hill.  

“Ray.” Marvel said.

“Yeah?” He replied.

Marvel pointed to his forearm. “Your arm’s bleeding.”

Ray looked down at his right arm and noticed a cut on his forearm. Small portions of blood was seeping out of it. It appeared to be there for a while. Must’ve been a graze from the DSHK. Ray shrugged it off.

“It’s just a scratch. It won’t kill me.” Ray replied. 

Gabriel turned around and noticed Ray’s wound. He looked at it for a moment before flicking his eyes to him.

“Remind yourself to get that arm checked out by Moira once we get back.” he said.

“Yes, sir.” Ray replied.

Eventually, the team jogged their way down the path and towards their LZ where their pilot would be waiting at. For the first time, Ray didn’t look back.

* * *

**_12:07 PM, Local Time_ **

**_Rome, Italy_ **

**_Embassy of the United States_ **

Once the team returned to Rome, Ray took his leader’s word and stopped by at the Embassy’s medical office where he got his wounds treated by Moira herself. But of course, he used some of the medical supplies from the helicopter to prevent his wound from infecting during the trip. 

Moira was easy to get along although something about her unsettles him. Maybe it was the fact she’s so into the human anatomy and the nature of science. She had just finished up on his wound.

“Here you go, good as new. You should be fine for a few days.” She said, tearing off the latex gloves. 

“Thanks.” Ray replied. 

As Moira stood up from her stool, Ray looked at his arm where the bandages were laid. There was still some small amount of blood on it but since the wound wasn’t too deep, Moira only had to apply some water and antibiotic cream afterward with bandages wrapping around the forearm. 

_“Is something bothering you?”_

Ray looked up to his right where he noticed Moira staring at him while washing her hands. 

“What makes you say that?” Ray asked as if he’s fine.

“I’m not just a medic,” Moira replied, wiping her hands with a paper towel before tossing it into the bin. “I have a Major in Psychology and Sociology before I joined the military and I’ve noticed that your wedding ring has been missing ever since you arrived at the Embassy yesterday.”

Ray looked down to his hand where he realized his wedding ring wasn’t on his ring finger since he left it back at his apartment. He was perplexed he had forgotten about it. 

“Something happened between you and your partner?” Moira deduced.

Ray sighed. If she already figured it out, there was no point in denying it. “Yeah. She sent me the divorce papers for me to sign.”

There was a brief moment of silence. Moira leaned onto the counter with her left hand while her other laid in her hip. 

“Well,” Moira said. “I personally am not one to give proper advice since I have absolutely no experience in marriages. But if Reyes trusts you, he may help you move on. I know he was once happy.”

Ray looked up. “Really? He doesn’t seem to be that kind of guy who smiles a lot.”

“True. He’s been through a lot during his time at the Delta Force. But take my word for it. You’ll be feeling much better once he tells you his story. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to.”

Moira swiped off her coat from one of the chairs nearby and walked out of the room. As the door closed shut, Ray sighed and shifted his feet, positioning himself to a slightly comfortable spot. There was still issues going on around his head. Ray wanted to whisk it off his memory. It was plaguing his mind. Who knows what would happen if he let it consume him while at the field. But he couldn’t help but sense something empty like a large hole waiting to be filled. Ray thought of Dahlia’s last few words that hit him the most.

_You were never going to leave this life._

_And you never will._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, kudos and constructive feedback is appreciated!


	3. The Digital Trail

**_9:11 AM, Local Time_ **

**_Rome, Italy_ **

**_June, 2018_ **

“ _Grazie_.” Amélie said as she took the hot cup of coffee from the young cashier.

She simply returned a warm smile before turning back to the long queue. Amélie turned away and headed for the door where Gabriel was waiting for her, leaning against the door frame with a cup of coffee as well. The cafe was quite bustling and full, especially during the morning. A lot of customers were either doing errands or getting themselves the newest arrival on the board. Once Amélie walked past Gabriel, he turned away and followed her out onto the crowded plaza.

“As I was saying,” Gabriel started, continuing his earlier conversation. “I think we might be going back to Zambia.” 

“What makes you think that?" Amélie asked.

"The fact that the NSA scooped up some footage of a new leader taking over the Macaba militia camp. They don’t know who it is but they believe it’s someone from the Macaba family."

"How many relatives do you think he has?” 

“Probably enough to run an army.”

No words were spoken between them afterwards. Gabriel stared out at the glint of the scorching sun from a distance with his sunglasses reflecting the blinding light off. His frown, surrounded by the goatee, remained plastered on his face and he tugged the collar of his shirt sticking to his skin. 

“What’s with the long face?” Amélie asked, grabbing Gabriel’s attention.

“What’d you mean?” He replied as he sipped his coffee.

“You look like somebody slapped you really hard.”

“Isn’t this how I normally look?”

“Gabe, you and I have been together since the first day Blackwatch was activated. I already know what you look like by now.”

Gabriel sighed while tapping the cup with his fingers. He stared at what’s in front of him without glancing at Amélie. His other hand slid into his pocket.

“I just found out my kids are about to graduate yesterday and when I asked Jackie if I could come, she wouldn’t let me. Doesn’t want me involved in their lives anymore. Guess that’s what happens when I’m a dedicated soldier with no time for family.”

“You two still haven’t worked things out?” She asked.

“Sadly, no.”

" _C’est une honte._ What about your kids? _"_

“We’re still on good terms but my daughter still doesn’t approve of the war and she probably hates my guts for it.”

“Would you really blame them? Not everybody is into killing.” Amélie said, adjusting her sunglasses. 

Gabriel scoffed. “Says the woman who once murdered rich people and performed ballet as if nothing ever happened.”

Amélie ignored him and took a sip of the coffee as they walked out of the plaza and into the street. As they stopped by a crossing light, Gabriel took out his phone from his pockets which buzzed in his hand. He answered it and lifted it to his ear.

“Hello?”

There was a brief pause, attracting Amélie’s curiosity despite voices around them drowning each other out. Gabriel nodded shortly with his eyes flicking downwards.

“Alright. We’ll be there.”

The call finished and Gabriel lowered his phone. Amélie stared at him, waiting for an answer.

“Well, this is a surprise.” He said, slipping the phone back into his pockets.

“Mission?” Amélie asked.

“Maybe. Sombra’s in Virginia with the CIA and she needs us there tomorrow afternoon sharp.”

* * *

**_Next Day_ **

**_3:21 PM, Local Time_ **

**_Langley, USA_ **

**_George Bush Center for Intelligence_ **

The team arrived at the headquarters after a long flight to McLean. As they entered inside, they were immediately greeted by the sight of Sombra reclining on one of the couches nearby. Several other people at the very back filed in back and forth across the reception area where the large CIA seal was plastered on. Once her eyes locked onto the team, she got off the couch and approached them.

“About time, _amigos_. You guys are really slow, ya know?” She said.

“Get straight to the point, Sombra. What’s going on?” Gabriel replied.

“Blackwatch.” A voice called out, attracting the team’s attention.

They turned towards the source of the voice and noticed Salvatore approaching them. He wasn’t alone however as there was a woman walking beside him. Blonde Hispanic with hair tied into a bun and a grey suit. Possibly in her forties.

“Glad you were able to make it, Reyes,” he said before gesturing towards the woman. “Allow me to introduce you all to Mrs. Alexis Morales, Director of the National Clandestine Service. Mrs. Morales, this is the Blackwatch unit I was telling you about.”

“I see,” the director hummed as she glanced across the team. “Pleasure to meet you all. If you would just follow me to the debriefing.”

She turned away and walked off towards the corridor on the right. Salvatore nodded towards them, prompting the team to follow her. Once they arrived at the conference room, they sat down facing the projector in front of them. Morales and Sombra stood beside it while Salvatore watched from the side. 

“I would like all of you to open up the folders placed in front of you and read all of the contents thoroughly.” Morales ordered.

The team picked up the folders and read through the documents in silence. Morales then started up the projector, presenting a PowerPoint on their mission.

_“_ Last week, the CIA was hit by a DDoS attack for two hours and by the time the servers were back online, the data inside vanished. Thanks to the efforts of Sombra, we have discovered that the attack came from a group of hackers via a digital trail they left behind.”

“You know, I actually found it funny that you guys were able to miss that one tiny detail. I mean, come on! Was that so hard to find? I thought your analysts were meant to be the brains of the agency.” Sombra said.

“As Mrs. Morales was saying,” Salvatore continued, ignoring the red-haired hacker. “Based on the emails Sombra intercepted, the hackers were hired by a communist mafia who call themselves the People’s Republic of Romania.”

“So, a communist mafia. That’s new.” Marvel commented.

“These men are loyal to the ideas of communism. Formed during the Cold War, they were known for many crimes of the states, mainly in countries that don’t support their views. Money laundering, arms trafficking, murder, counterfeiting, anything that falls under the category of organized crime.”

“What’d they steal?” Ray asked.

“Oh, you know. Just a buncha names and secret stuff that could be used against the government, the same old.” Sombra answered.

“And it’s best that we retrieve the data back and if possible, eliminate the mafia by all means. We cannot risk retaliation or worse, a conflict. The digital trail Sombra found led us to a ranch in Bennington, Vermont where satellite footage has reported sightings of what appeared to be the mafia taking over the ranch along with the hackers. We are safe to assume this is where the data would be at.” 

“Me, McCree and Sombra can take this one.” Gabriel said.

“What do we do about the hackers?” Sombra glanced at the leader.

“Unless they try to shoot back, they aren’t our main priority.”

* * *

**_5:47 PM, Local Time_ **

**_Bennington, USA_ **

After touching down at the William H. Morse Airport, Gabriel and his group got off the plane where several agents were posted nearby. They made their way to a black Tahoe parked near the entrance gate where a pair of agents were. McCree took the driver's seat while the rest took the passenger seats. Starting the engine, McCree drove themselves past the gate and out to the narrow road. 

As the drive progressed to the highway, Gabriel looked at the rear mirror and caught sight of Sombra at the back with purple headphones on and a phone on her right hand resting on her lap. God knows what she’s listening to but it wasn’t much of his concern and interest. He looked away and stared out of the window. The drab autumn trees tossed lightly, obscuring the sky while dark, ragged clouds close in. There was a report of wet weather on its way so the group brought in some jackets to keep them dry.

Few minutes later and they arrived at the road leading to the ranch. The entrance’s gate was completely loose with its support wedged out of the terrain. Parking the Tahoe by the gate, the group hopped out with their weapons and backpacks and delved into the bushy forest next to the gate. Gabriel put on his ski mask partially like a beanie. 

As they navigated through the forest, the leaves began to rustle and the shadows closed in completely. The sky by now was completely concealed by the clouds. The team stopped once they got close to the end of the forest where a fence was placed, leaving out the forest. 

“Sombra, get your drone up.”

Without a word, she went with it and took out her recon drone with an installed camera. After getting it airborne, she used her tablet to control the drone. Gabriel pulled out his binoculars from his backpack and scouted the ranch. There were fewer gangsters around the ranch than he had anticipated. The main entrance of the ranch was guarded by two armed men under a portable gazebo along with a white car parked near them.

“How many inside the house?” Gabriel asked.

“That’s strange,” Sombra muttered. “There’s only like five guys and that’s not including the hackers. Thought there was gonna be more.”

“Maybe we’re just overestimating ‘em.” McCree said.

“My guess as well.” Gabriel replied.

Sombra glanced at the team leader while controlling the drone. “So how do you wanna pull this off?”

“If it follows the term ‘stealth’, then that’s how we’ll do it,” Gabriel tossed his binoculars into his bag and pulled his mask on. “Let's go.”

Once Sombra retrieved her drone, she held the custom MP7 slung around her shoulder and followed Gabriel and McCree out of the forest and over the fence. The lawn outside the ranch was overgrown with its grass rustling and waving to the breeze; It was long enough for the team to hide behind the foliage undetected. As Gabriel led the team towards the ranch, McCree and Sombra were at his rear checking back at the two men at the entrance.

The team reached the curved walkway, closing in on the house that stood in front of them. The dark brown paint and some of the wooden aspects of the two-floor house definitely stood out with the autumn forest around it. They can see the calm river behind the house as well. 

As Gabriel approached the side of the house while crouching, he noticed a drip of water bounce off the rail of the rifle before continuous drips of water skimmed upon his body in a stable rhythm. Gabriel did his best to ignore it and pulled the hood over his head. By the time they reached the side, the rain was pouring on like wildfire. McCree and Sombra both pulled on their hoods from the oncoming rain.

Gabriel advanced towards the porch, walking up the stairs while aiming his rifle with the others following him and covering their rear. There, the team was shielded from the downpour with water dripping off the edges of the roof. They can hear the fierceness of the rain from the noisy impact from the roof. 

“So, five hostiles inside, Sombra?” Gabriel whispered as he approached the door.

“Yep,” She nodded. “Three upstairs and two downstairs.”

Gabriel clasped his free hand over the doorknob. Turning it over, the lock clicked and the door slowly moved. Gabriel slowly pushed the door open with his right shoulder without bumping it hard and peeked through the narrow gap. Through the gap, he could see a defect washing machine stacked against the wall. There was no sign of anybody from what he could see. Gabriel pushed the door further and made his first step onto the wooden floor.

Once the door swung open, Gabriel made his move first while scanning the area with his rifle. Sombra was the last to enter and closed the door softly, shutting out the hailing rain outside. Gabriel glanced around as he headed out of the room and into the corridor, leading to what appeared to be a dining room. 

He stopped once he reached the end and peered to his right where he noticed a stout man sporting a work shirt in the kitchen, grabbing something from the fridge. Gabriel stepped back and held out his right hand curled into a fist while holding the foregrip tightly. Sombra and McCree stopped but still held their weapons. The man called out to someone in Romanian with whoever it was responding back. 

Gabriel checked up on the man who closed the fridge door and walked back towards the living room with a beer can. Gabriel moved forward in a fast pace and aimed his rifle for the head, flicking the safety pin off. He had no reason to doubt whether that guy was one of the mobsters or not. Pulling the trigger, the suppressor flashed and the man fell in an instant with two bloody holes on the back of his head, tumbling over a chair. A loud hiss coming from the fallen can rang across the room. 

“One down.” Gabriel muttered, flicking the safety back on.

As he went around the table to check on the body, he heard the voice from the other room call out in concern. Gabriel jumped over to the right side of the arch and aimed his rifle at the corridor next to the living room, safety off again. Shortly, a slightly skinnier man in a worn sweater emerged from the corridor with a pistol in hand. Just as he noticed the body, Gabriel fired several rounds to the gangster's chest before he fell back.

“That’s the second one down.” 

Sombra and McCree walked past him as he checked the fat mobster he meant to look at. After making sure both of them were dead, Gabriel caught up with Sombra and McCree where they were by the stairs. Patting McCree’s shoulder, he advanced up the stairwell with McCree taking the lead. Once they reached the upper floor, they found themselves facing a door with a narrow corridor to their left, leading elsewhere. The lights were off, leaving nothing but shuttered shadows with drips sliding down.

Gabriel approached the door, closed and silent. A room with a closed door is more likely to be occupied by hostiles, which was something Jack Morrison taught back in the day. He still remembered how much he tried to one-up the Sergeant during their early years when he was still a Private searching for the thrills.

Gabriel stood next to the door and waved at Sombra and McCree, prompting them to stack up next to it. Once they were ready, Gabriel stepped in front of the door and kicked it open, boot making contact near the doorknob. As the door flung open, Gabriel stormed into the room. He noticed several people facing the computer monitors spin around, startled. His left eye caught sight of a gangster reaching for his gun on the table. Gabriel aimed and fired several rounds to his body. He fell onto the table forcibly before sliding off. Several suppressed shots were fired and more bodies landed on the floor.

“Room clear!” McCree barked.

Gabriel aimed his rifle at the hackers, still stuck to their seats. All of them had their hands up, keeping their backs towards them. They looked young and dressed in clothes young people would wear. 

“Stay right where you are.” Gabriel ordered.

The hackers remained frozen, probably already got the message. As his breathing kept a steady pace, Gabriel began to step away from them while keeping his aim at them.

“Sombra, get the data and everything they stole into this drive.” Gabriel took out a hard drive from his pocket for Sombra.

“Got it, _jefe_.” She replied, taking the hard drive and approaching one of the server racks nearby with a laptop on it. 

“McCree, go outside and keep watch.”

“Yessir.” 

McCree quickly left the room but left the door open. Sombra plugged in the hard drive into the laptop and began to make that computer magic. As she tapped into the network, one of the hackers began to turn around while still keeping his hands up. His hair was light blonde and a necklace hung in front of his maroon hoodie. Gabriel didn’t bother to order him to turn back unless he was armed.

“Wait a minute,” he muttered with a Polish accent. “Y-you’re Sombra? The actual Sombra?”

She turned around and pulled the hood off, letting her hair loose. “Who’s asking?” 

The hacker and the others exchanged glances of surprise, gasping and chatting amongst each other. Gabriel still kept his aim at them.

" _Niesamowite_! I can’t believe it! You’re a legend in the hacking industry!” The Polish hacker exclaimed. 

“Aww, it's nice to know I have some fans,” Sombra replied, turning away. “I heard about you guys too and how you managed to break into the servers with a DDoS attack. Took some bolas for you boys to rob the CIA.”

“Wait, wait? The CIA?” The Polish hacker repeated.

Sombra wasn’t too surprised since one of the emails she retrieved indicated that none of them knew who they were actually robbing.

“Oh? They didn’t tell you?”

“N-No,” he replied. “We were just told to steal some stuff from a rival mob and that was it.”

“They were gonna pay us half the money we stole from the mob once we finished.” Another hacker with a Finnish accent added.

Sombra hummed in a doubtful manner. “Take it from me, guys. Gangbangers nowadays don’t play ball when it comes to money.”

Gabriel wasn't into the conversation of any way. This was a mission, not a get-along group. 

“How’s the progress, Sombra?” He growled, glancing at her.

She tapped a key, displaying a loading bar on the screen and turned to Gabriel. “Gonna take a while, _jefe_.” 

“Reaper, you might wanna see this.” McCree called out from outside.

Gabriel went out of the room and noticed McCree watching the window at the corridor. He was staring outside with his free hand holding the curtains aside.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Some of our Romanian buddies are back.” McCree said, moving away for the leader.

Gabriel pushed the curtains away and glanced out the window overlooking the front yard. Two SUVs and the white car from the entrance were closing in on the house. Gabriel had a gut feeling that these guys now knew they weren’t expecting visitors.

“Shit, they must’ve discovered our car.” He muttered as the vehicles stopped and the doors opened. 

“What do we do, boss?” McCree asked.

The front door opened and voices filled the floor from below. They heard footsteps advancing up the stairs. Gabriel got his rifle ready and aimed at the stairs while approaching it. McCree followed suit. Just as he reached the start of the stairs, Gabriel immediately caught contact of a large, bald man with a pistol in his right hand heading towards their direction. Gabriel opened fire first with three rounds to his chest. The pistol went off, hitting the ceiling as the gangster tumbled back down and slammed against a rail.

As voices began to escalate over the sounds of the hailing rain, Gabriel and McCree went down the stairs and got a glimpse of another gangster appearing from a room near the front door. Gabriel quickly put him down before he could raise his own gun. He approached the living room to his right, only for two gangsters to come into his way. 

They both opened fire while backing up. Gabriel ducked below oncoming bullets while still aiming his rifle. The skinny gangster he was aiming for was really bad at aiming or even holding it properly, therefore allowing several rounds to hit his body while the rest penetrated the slider doors. The other one was out of sight. Gabriel heard several suppressed shots from the other side as he entered the living room. 

He turned to the kitchen where he found the rest of the gangsters holed up together. Gabriel counted three gangsters before taking cover from suppressive fire. He switched the rifle to his left hand and fired back without peeking over. The gunfire slightly ceased, prompting Gabriel to grab a stun grenade under his jacket. With a hard toss, he listened to the grenade bounce and slide on the wood before a deafening bang erupted. 

When the groans and shrieks followed up, Gabriel moved out of cover and raised his rifle, taking out the two gangsters who moved away from the kitchen before approaching the last one. As he moved towards the counter, Gabriel noticed a gangster hiding behind the table too late before he made his attack. 

They both shuffled and struggled as the gangster’s hands gripped over Gabriel’s rifle with the discharge hitting elsewhere being unhelpful. Gabriel kicked his leg with little effect. The gangster pushed Gabriel against the wall, knocking off something hanging on the wall. Just as Gabriel felt a fist slam across his face, his rifle was yanked off his grip. His left hand balled into a fist and it felt as if he had no control of the hand. 

As soon as let his hand loose, it flung at the gangster’s side and Gabriel let it continue until his muscles gave up. He lifted his fist and sent it flying to the gangster’s face, hitting his jaw. With the gangster dazed, Gabriel punched the arms holding him, breaking himself free. He noticed the gangster’s pistol tucked in front of his pants and pulled it out before he could. Without hesitation, Gabriel fired two shots to the chest and a final blow to the head.

As the gangster fell onto the chair, tumbling down with it, Gabriel scanned the rest of the room with the pistol. After making one last sweep and confirming the house was empty, Gabriel lowered the gun to take a look. A Mauser C96. Very old fashioned. Dropping the gun, Gabriel reached for his rifle and patched in.

“Main house is clear. Shadow 3, what’s your status?” He said, holding his fingers on the earpiece.

“Clear on my position!” McCree huffed, sounding like he had a massive firefight outside.

Gabriel then ordered him to head back inside and went upstairs. He walked up to the door which was shut. Sombra would be at her defensive position at this point.

“This is Shadow 1, hold your fire.” He called out. 

The door suddenly opened and Sombra appeared in his view, holding her MP7. Gabriel walked inside where the hackers were still there. Shaken but fine overall. 

“Is it done?” Gabriel asked.

“Yep,” Sombra replied, holding up the hard drive. “Everything they stole is in here.” 

Gabriel nodded, ignoring the hackers. “Alright, let's go.”

“What about them?”

He stopped and turned around where Sombra was facing. The hackers were still there. They may be tricked into stealing from the world’s well-known agency but their crimes can’t go unpunished. Unless they were willing to accept. The CIA or Salvatore could give zero shits if he puts them down or not but they were lucky he wasn’t given that order. Gabriel approached them and aimed his rifle at them, startling the hackers and prompting them to raise their hands.

“ _Jefe_ , what the hell are you doing?” Sombra called out.

He ignored her and remained fixated at those young men, aiming across them with a sight focused on each of them. For the next few seconds, it was silent except with the frantic breathing. 

“You do know the rifle’s safety is on?” Gabriel said, still aiming his rifle. “That means I can’t shoot anything out of it unless I flick it off. And you know what happens when it’s off?”

No response. 

“R-Reyes, we got what we came for. You don’t have to-” Sombra tried to say.

“I can kill all of you right here, right now. In fact, I wouldn’t be here to waste my time talking to you kids. I can just pull the trigger and get this over with...but you’re lucky I don’t have the order.”

Gabriel moved slowly towards the Polish hacker and held his glare at him. 

“What you’ve done and how you did it can’t be left ignored. And I don’t give two shits if you were hired by the mafia or whoever that was. You pay for the price, no matter the circumstance. But I’m not in the mood of taking a life of another man so I can tell you this and you better listen closely cause I won’t repeat myself.”

The Polish hacker was on the verge of breaking down, trembling non-stop. Gabriel glanced at the rest of the hackers.

"You leave this house and you don’t speak of this ever again. I don’t care how, just as long as you’re outta here. And don’t try anything stupid on the way out cause we will be watching you. But if I hear another mention of any of your names, we will hunt you down and once I find you...this safety won’t be on. Do I make myself clear?”

The whole room was dead silent with fear. The Polish kid was already petrified with the barrel of the rifle pressed against his chest as well as the others. Everybody nodded frantically. 

“SAY IT.” Gabriel barked.

The hackers all said ‘yes’ hastily and between squeaks and mumbling. Gabriel sighed and lifted his rifle away from Roman. 

“Good,” he began to dig into his pockets and took out the keys to their car. “The car’s at the front entrance down the forest. Black Chevrolet. Take this and get outta here. No smart moves, got it?”

All of them nodded beyond normal and Gabriel handed the keys to the Polish kid. As soon as the keys were off his hand, the hackers began to gather their things with the backpacks and they dashed out of the room. He turned around where Sombra was standing outside, bewildered and surprised. Gabriel got out the SAT phone and dialed the number. 

“Jesus, Gabe,” She muttered. “Was this part of your Scaring Kids to Death initiative or something?”

“It’s done,” Gabriel said, ignoring Sombra. “The data is in the drive.”

There was a pause before Gabriel nodded and finished up the call. He slipped the phone into his pockets and went down the stairs. 

“We’re leaving. The cops are already on their way,” he tapped the earpiece. “McCree, find a car that is still running because we’ll be using it.” 

“Got it.” 

As Gabriel and Sombra left the house, they walked off the porch to the sight of bodies scattered and sprawled around the field with bullet-ridden cars left behind, smoke rising from the front. A white SUV backed up to where Gabriel and Sombra was and turned to the side with McCree driving. The two stored their equipment and backpacks in the boot and got in, staining the seats with soaked clothing. Just as they did so, the car sped off and drove around the dumped cars before reaching the front gate, hearing nothing but the raging downpour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay yet again so I'm making it up with this new chapter! The next one will probably take some time. Anyways, see you in the next chapter and make sure to leave a kudos and some constructive criticism!


	4. The Star

**_3:40 PM, Local Time_ **

**_Rome, Italy_ **

**_Embassy of the United States_ **

**_June, 2018_ **

Marvel flinched as Genji landed a back kick to his stomach. He had a feeling Genji was going for the stomach but he didn’t expect it this early. Marvel moved around the ring, keeping his steady pace. For the past two minutes, he was unable to land a proper hit on Genji. It was almost as if he could read his next move. Marvel wanted to test his luck again after his disastrous first time sparring with Genji, almost embarrassing himself in front of his team. He had experience with MMA training in between his time at the Air Force. He wanted to be better. He wanted to be perfect. 

Wiping the sweat off his forehead with his arm, Marvel went for swift hooks left and right. Genji covered his face against most of his hits and backed away quickly. Approaching him, Marvel lifted his leg for a roundhouse kick which Genji blocked quickly. Marvel then went for a spinning kick aiming for the head but Genji ducked under. Marvel didn’t react in time to block not just one but two of Genji’s kicks to his torso with the last being a back kick. It was inhumanly rapid that Marvel wished he had that too. Marvel clutched his stomach, enduring another one of Genji’s attacks. 

But it was way earlier than he had expected. Genji moved forward and delivered what he perceived was a tornado kick. The impact on his face made Marvel stumble onto the ground. He quickly recovered and moved away, punching the mat and cursing under his breath. 

They continued to trade punches with Genji blocking most of them, almost reaching the three-minute mark by ten seconds. At that rate, he was starting to feel tired. Marvel stepped forward and swung a cross at Genji, only for him to push the punch away and wrap his arm over his. Then Genji turned his back against him and Marvel felt his feet lift off the ground. In just one motion, he found himself thrown to the mat with a hard thud. He had lost all of his energy to get up. All of his limbs went limp onto the mat and his heartbeat was twice his usual like it was about to burst open. Marvel sulked. He blew it. What would his young counterpart say? Genji appeared in his view and bent down, reaching a hand out for him. 

“You overused your strength,” He said. “This’ll leave you vulnerable and open to your enemy’s attacks. Use your mind, not your body.”

_Since when did he become my personal trainer?_ Marvel thought. He glared at his hand for a brief moment. Wiping his mouth, Marvel rejected Genji’s hand and pulled himself up while gritting his teeth from the pain. He glanced at Genji while holding his stomach.

“Thanks. You fight well.” 

It came out dry and nasally. Genji didn’t respond as long as he said something grateful enough, it’ll do. Stepping out of the ring, he snatched his bottle and towel off the floor. Marvel noticed McCree and his Mexican hacker friend outside the ring, watching him leave. Both of them are either unamused or pitiful. Marvel looked away and went back to the punching bags.

* * *

**_3 Days Later_ **

**_11:35 PM, Local Time_ **

**_Busan, South Korea_ **

After cleaning herself up, **Hana Song** walked out of the bathroom while tying up her hair. It was almost midnight and she still didn’t feel like sleeping which Hana thought was both a good and bad thing. The press conference that afternoon wore most of her team out with most of the questions by journalists being boring and mundane. She already prepared herself for bed wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

Hana approached the bed where her friend Yuna was on. Her jet black hair was slightly messy but any kind of hairdo she would try would still make the fans and the media swoon. The TV was still on, blaring music on a lower volume.

“Jesus, I’m so tired,” Yuna yawned. “That session was so boring I almost fell asleep.”

“Tell me about it. I’m lucky that I barely sleep all the time.”

“I still don’t believe you’re not an alien.”

Hana chuckled as she tucked herself in beside Yuna. There was only one large bed so the girls decided to share it. Hana reached for her phone on the nightstand and quickly put up an alarm. The noise from the TV shut off.

“So how're things with that DJ boyfriend of yours? ” Yuna asked.

“Huh?” Hana glanced at her.

“Your boyfriend, Lucio. You guys doing fine?”

Hana paused for a moment. “We’re going steady. Lucio’s finishing up his tour for his new album so it’ll probably be a few days until we see each other again.”

Yuna nodded and clicked her tongue. Hana adjusted herself against the squishy pillow. There was silence.

“What about you? How’s Su-ji?” Hana asked.

Yuna let out a sigh, tugging her crop top. A smirk crept up across her face.

“We’re a thing now,” she said, surprising Hana. “Su-ji asked me out last week while I was staying at his place. He got a bit nervous and all but-”

Suddenly, they heard muffled bangs. The two perched up and looked around.

“Is that what I think it is?” Hana asked.

More bangs followed up, collectively synchronizing. And it sounded like it was coming from downstairs. Yuna leaned forward to get a view of the door.

“Hana, I think this is just like what happened back in Seoul but we're in it.”

“Oh my god,” Hana muttered. “Oh my god, this is crazy. D-do you know where the others are?”

“They were at the bar downstairs.” 

Hana let out a distraught sigh. Her heart was racing and her breathing was fast. She silently cursed and tried to calm herself down. They were already off the bed at this point.

“C-can you call the police?” Hana asked, pacing across the room.

Yuna already had her phone out. “I can’t. There’s no signal. There was WiFi earlier and now it’s offline.”

“What? Oh my…what do we do now?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, wait it out, I guess? I mean, we’re in a locked room after all.”

“But what about them? They’re still down there!”

“Hana, unless we had futuristic mechs capable of shooting lasers, I don’t think we stand a chance against these guys. Who knows what they’re capable of?”

They both stood in awkward silence, other than anxious breathing. Gunfire had already ceased at this point.

“What about the rooftop?” Hana said.

There was a sudden knock on the door. They both froze and spun, focusing on the door. 

“Security! Anyone in there?”

Hana and Yuna exchanged glances. They both silently asked questions with no possible answers. Hana then agreed to approach the door.

“What is it?” She called as she neared the door.

There was no reply from the voice. Looking through the peephole, Hana noticed a man in a red polo shirt with a large vest standing in front of the door. He hardly looked like a security guard.

“A-are you security?” Hana asked.

“I’m off-duty,” The man replied. “I was inside when I heard the gunshots. Are you alone?”

Hana quickly glanced at Yuna who was standing by the corridor. She had her suspicions and shook her head. Hana faced the door without looking through the peephole.

“Y-yes. I’m alone. My friend’s…i-is the police on their way right now?”

There was a pause. Hana looked back at Yuna again who was now near her. She was still unconvinced the man was security. 

“I can’t tell. Communications have been cut off so it’s not likely. Now can you please open the door so I can check if you’re hurt or not?”

Hana looked through the peephole again to check on the man. There was no sign of a badge or a tag.

“Ma’am, this is very important,” the man continued. “I have been authorized to bust into guests’ rooms if I have to.”

“Excuse me, sir. With all due respect, security doesn't take routine room checks and kick doors down...and you definitely don’t look like one.”

There was another pause but Hana thought she could hear the man mumble something. And then she heard a familiar sound. Hana’s eyes widened. It was enough to convince them of his deception. Yuna grabbed her shoulder and threw themselves into the bathroom, dropping onto the floor. Gunshots erupted from outside as the girls slid away from the door frame. Hana’s ears began to ring on the verge of deafness from the loud shots. She flinched over each shot that fired upon them. Years of gaming experience and shooter games hadn’t prepared her for real gunfire. Was it her time? She wasn’t ready for this. 

Hana flinched as the door kicked off the lock and slam against the wall. Her breathing became short and detached as she braced. Hana noticed a shadow looming on the porcelain tiles. As soon as the barrel of the gun appeared from the door, Yuna stepped forward and went for the man’s gun. Shots fired with one hitting the wall and the other two on the ceiling. Hana forgot how painfully loud the gun was, forcing her to cover her ears. They both pushed and kicked, knocking things off the counter as they struggled for the gun. Yuna managed to pin him against the wall, hitting him as much as possible.

“Go! I got this!” She yelled.

Hana was mixed with jumbled thoughts. She didn’t want to leave her behind. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing her to a killer. Everything was crowding up her mind she could only move slowly. Then, Hana noticed the gun fly off and land in the bathtub. Without any second thoughts, she reached the bathtub and got the gun. It felt heavy and big for her hands. Thoughts were swarming her head, making it hard for her to hear herself. When Hana turned around, Yuna was pushed back and pinned against the sink. 

Hana held up the gun, aiming it in the direction of the man. She felt her hands shake uncontrollably as her finger touched the trigger. Hana pulled the trigger and recoiled to the crack. There was no splashy sound of the bullet hitting the skin. Only a hole left in the back of the man’s thigh. Blood suddenly trickled from the hole, soaking the area. The man spun around, teeth gritted and was about to reach for her. It gave Yuna enough time to grab a hairdryer from the counter while he was distracted. She swung it to his face, hard enough to break herself free of his grip.

The man tripped over and fell onto the floor. Yuna didn’t even give him a chance to fight back, let alone let him sit up. She was above him, hitting the man with the hairdryer without stopping. She was letting it all out on him. Hana could see faint splashes of blood projecting to the tiles. The man’s hands fell limp and Yuna stopped. She was heaving loudly and her breaths were shorter. She got off the body and sat beside the bathtub, dropping the bloody hairdryer. Her hair was disheveled and drips of blood stained her top. Hana could notice her flushed cheeks and her bruised arms. Hana felt like a timid rabbit. She could still feel her ears softly ringing like an alarm. 

“Y-Yuna?” Hana quietly said.

Her friend glanced at her while still visibly worn out. Her breathing was starting to ease up. 

“I had this.” Yuna whispered. 

“You didn’t look like you did so well.” Hana replied.

Yuna didn’t reply but she decided to pat down the man. Hana looked at the gun she fired. The slide was clipped back and there was no bullet inside. It was now useless. Shortly, Yuna stood up with a flip phone on her hand. Hana couldn’t see her reaction but she was lingering to it for a while. 

“W-what is it?” Hana asked.

Yuna turned around and Hana quickly noticed how staggered she was.

“It’s them.” 

Hana was confused by her answer. ”Who?”

Before she could ask more, Yuna moved past her. 

“We need to get to the rooftop now.” She said.

Hana wanted to ask who it was. But Yuna was already at the door before she could find her words. She eventually stumbled after her and followed Yuna out of the room. Just as she stepped out, Hana noticed three men in similar vests, armed with rifles, closing in on the two.

* * *

**_The Next Day_ **

**_10:00 PM, Local Time_ **

**_West Busan, South Korea_ **

The flaps opened as the Blackwatch team entered the makeshift command center one by one where they were greeted by the sight of Gabriel and Amélie standing by the displays. Once everybody was present, Gabriel began the briefing.

“Alright, let's get into it,” he said, turning on the TV. “Last night, a group of armed men stormed the Lijiang Busan hotel and took an unknown number of guests and staff hostage. Because no negotiations have been made, Salvatore has permission to declare this as a Blackwatch operation.” 

“But that’s the ROK’s job. Why are we needed?” Ray asked.

“Because intel NATO has provided us with theorized a possibility that the armed men are the separatists of North Korea, the Gwishin.” Amélie answered.

The TV displaying the news article and footage then switched to a new slide, showing a black flag with a side view of a leopard skull and swords formed into a cross behind it.

“This group is led by radical, politically motivated terrorists who wish to see their supreme country rise, even if it means the downfall of South Korea. They have been orchestrating attacks on South Korea for the past decade every couple years and continued to this day.” She continued, switching to another slide showing news articles about them from the past.

“Intel has also ID’d and confirmed one of the Gwishin members in the hotel as the number one on South Korea’s watchlist: **Hwang Gyeong-jae** AKA. the **White Panther** .” Gabriel added. 

The display then switched to a new slide, showing a blurry photo taken from a security camera. The photo was cropped to only focus on the bald man with a large forehead seemingly ordering something. Another photo was a second cropped piece showing the same man posing with the others blocked out for comparison. There was a scar on his right eye.

“He’s one of the lieutenants of the Gwishin and possibly more ruthless than the others. He was infamously responsible for the bombing of Major Myung Seon-ok during a diplomatic meeting in 2012.”

“If these guys are separatists, then what are they trying to achieve by taking an entire hotel hostage? Doesn’t make any sense.” Marvel said.

“Whatever message they’re trying to send, orders are orders,” Gabriel continued. “We’ll be going in as an anonymous counter-terrorism unit in corporation with the 707th SMB. Because we were never there, all credit for the raid will go towards them. Sombra, Marvel, Ray, you three hang back. The rest of you, gear up and be ready by 1010.”   

The rest of the team left the command center one by one while Marvel and Ray were left inside with Sombra. Gabriel looked behind his shoulder at the shrouded tent with light between the flaps before turning away and catching up with his team.

* * *

**_10:29 PM, Local Time_ **

As the chilly night brewed, the Blackwatch team in the KUS-VH unmanned helicopter flew past the skyline of Busan where the sight of the brightly lit Harbor Bridge was easy to spot. Another helicopter flying with them held the SMB team, shrouded in all black gear. The Blackwatch team were suited up in uniforms with masks, covering their identities. They were only a few minutes close to the hotel. Faint siren lights were still flickering from the bottom outside and a news helicopter hovered around the hotel for a shot. 

“ **Glider 1, approaching AO. 20 seconds out.** ” 

“Copy. Get ready for landing.” Gabriel replied.

As the helicopters reached the hotel, the helicopter began to descend to the rooftop with the SMB following. Once it was a few inches off the roof, Gabriel and the team hopped off and started moving. With their weapons ready, Gabriel led his team towards the door while the SMB unit got their rappelling gear set up by the balcony. They wanted to breach the upper floor for the gunmen.

Entering inside, the Blackwatch team descended down the emergency stairway, floor by floor. Their body cameras were attached to their plate carriers as surveillance for Sombra and the others back at their post. 

“Shadow 1,” Sombra’s voice from the comms buzzed. “I’ve hacked into the security surveillance system and the hotel is swarming with the Gwishin and I mean, a lot of them.”

“Not the first time. Any sign of the hostages?” Gabriel asked.

“Still on it. No sign of the White Panther yet.”

Gabriel ordered McCree and Moira to sweep the first floor, leaving himself with Amélie and Genji. They reached the ground floor and stacked up by the door. Gabriel slowly opened the door and the team moved out, approaching an integrated cafe. It was brightly lit yet dead quiet. Most of the furniture was toppled over in the midst of the rush. Gabriel stopped by the table once he noticed a pair of men with matching rifles patrolling the cafe several feet away from each other. 

Gabriel mounted his Scar L on the edge of the table and made some hand signals with his right hand. Amélie nodded and raised her K7 at the figures. Once Gabriel got their line of sight, he pulled the trigger twice. The suppressor pulsed as the muzzle let out a small flash. The gunman on the left dropped immediately and the other fell in half a second. They were about to stand up when they heard a thunderous burst erupt from the ground. The group froze. Faint noises echoed from afar. Gabriel cursed under his breath.

“Hope you guys got a plan B,” Sombra said. “Cause the entire hotel knows something’s up.”

“Just find the hostages! We’ll deal with the rest!” Gabriel replied.

Once the group moved out of the cafe, gunfire from above erupted across the hotel. The SMB must’ve breached once they heard the discharge. So much for keeping it quiet. As they reached the lobby, Gabriel caught sight of four gunmen from across the lobby near the stairs. He fired a couple of suppressive bursts at them before taking cover behind the reception counter as retaliation gunfire barreled upon the group. 

Gabriel chanced a glance through the counter and bolted back as soon as gunfire focused on him. Objects and paper from the counter popped and flung around like confetti. Amélie fired back from behind the wall near the barricaded entrance, taking out one of the gunmen running low in the middle of the fight. Gabriel stood out of cover and returned fire, taking down another gunmen beside the Lijiang label statue. The remaining gunmen were taken out by Genji. 

“Clear!” He called out.

“Shadow 1, I found the hostages. They’re in the function room next to the restaurant on the first floor.” Sombra said.

“Copy, Shadow 4,” Gabriel replied as he moved out of cover. “Let’s go. Hostages are in the function room upstairs. 

As he led his group up the wide stairs between the escalators, gunfire erupted from behind with bullets pelting the stairs. The group quickly spun around and returned fire on two gunmen from below, taking them down without a hitch. Once they reached the first floor, they noticed three gunmen at the hallway shops with one of them carrying a pistol. The team took cover from the hail of gunfire behind the wall. Bullets sprayed at the walls, piecing off dust and small shards of material.

Gabriel leaned over slightly and returned fire, hitting the gunmen with the pistol in the stomach. As he fell onto his stomach, Gabriel slipped away from another barrage of gunfire. He ejected the empty mag and fitted it with a new one before retracting the bolt. Gabriel could hear the cries of one of the gunmen he shot. Amélie got out of cover and managed to hit the second gunman running across the hallway and the last one as soon as he peeked out from behind the leather couches. 

Once gunfire ceased, the team moved out and headed towards the hallway. Gabriel finished off the fallen gunman before he was able to raise his pistol. They reached the restaurant to their left where they noticed another group of gunmen near the buffet counters. Gabriel immediately shot the gunman on the right and took cover from oncoming gunfire. While his group hid behind the bar counter, Gabriel mounted his rifle on the edge of the couch and opened fire at the scurrying gunmen. Plate shards and glass sprayed across the restaurant and furniture tumbled over. Three more gunmen arrived from the back, suppressing the group hard enough to make Gabriel take cover. 

He took a flash grenade attached to his plate carrier, pulled the pin and tossed it out into the open. A loud bang erupted and gunfire began to cease. The group took that chance to return fire, taking out several gunmen before the rest dropped. Gabriel glanced to his right where the other entrance was and noticed McCree, Moira and the SMB unit entering the restaurant with their weapons’ muzzles letting out smoke.

“Clear!” He called before noticing Gabriel. “Reyes, you okay?”

Gabriel simply nodded. Then his comm buzzed.

“Shadow 1, the rest of the terrorists are holed up in the function room with the hostages. And the White Panther’s with them.”

“Copy,” Gabriel replied. “All units, on me.”

The team followed Gabriel past the restaurant until they reached the door leading to the function room. Gabriel could hear faint voices through the wall which sounded like a shout. They were possibly waiting for them to come through. 

“Plant the charges.” Gabriel ordered.

As the team stacked up by the door on each side, one of the SMB operatives set up an explosive charge before stepping away from the door’s sight. Once everybody was clear from the door, the operative set off the charge on Gabriel’s mark. A bright, deafening blast erupted, engulfing the door in smoke and dust. As soon as the door was blasted open, Gabriel and the team tossed their flashbangs into the room without throwing it too far to blind the hostages. 

They stormed into the room and managed to put down the rest of the terrorists hiding behind makeshift cover without difficulty. Gabriel caught sight of the White Panther who seemed to be unaffected by the flash, reaching for a girl nearby. Before he could even touch her, Gabriel fired several rounds to his chest before going for the head. With the smoke fading and the gunfire ceasing, Gabriel glanced at the hostages lined up on the back of the wall. They were relieved and alarmed at the same time. He tapped into his earpiece.

“This is Shadow 1, all hostiles neutralized. White Panther is down. Hostages secure.” 

“Copy,” Sombra replied. “That was kinda genius on the breach thing by the way.”

Gabriel bent down to check on the body. The face was similar. Black eyes, large forehead and bald but something was off. His scar was absent. He got back to his comms.

“This is Shadow 1, negative ID on the White Panther. I repeat, negative ID on the White Panther.” Gabriel said.

“Are you sure?” He heard Marvel ask. “Our hacker can use a facial scanner on him.”  

“Don’t bother. It ain’t him. Intel was wrong.”

“He’s right,” Sombra said. “I’m good with identifying people’s faces and that’s definitely not him.”

Gabriel cut off the comms and growled under his breath. If they were told the so-called ‘White Panther’ was just a wannabe terrorist, this would’ve been the army’s job and their time would’ve not been wasted. Sighing, Gabriel turned to where his team was and helped tend to the hostages. At some point, he will have to tell the rest of the team.

* * *

_**11:00 PM, Local Time** _

“So that wasn’t the White Panther?” Amélie said, after hearing Gabriel’s news. 

“Yep,” he replied as they walked past police units and paramedics. “The guy was just someone who looked like him. He hardly bothered to fight back.”  

“It’s not possible for intel coming from Salvatore being wrong.”

“Well, he must’ve made a mistake. This was just a random attack. We weren’t needed here.”

Gabriel was able to predict his team’s disappointment over the news of the White Panther. All this for something the Korean government could’ve dealt with instead. Gabriel then heard one of the police officers say something behind him and then a woman's voice followed up. They were both speaking Korean.

"Sir! I need to speak to you! It's urgent!" the same woman called out.

Gabriel and Amélie turned as soon as they heard her speak surprisingly fluent English. She was trying to get past the police officers blocking her way. The woman looked concerned and desperate like she was trying to warn them of something. After ordering the guards to move aside, Gabriel watched as she approached them. She was slightly short and her long hair was messed up.

“Can I help you?” The leader asked.

“My name is Hana Song and I have information you need to know.”

Gabriel and Amélie exchanged glances before turning back to the woman.

“We’re listening.” He nodded.

“The hostage situation was a distraction by the Gwishin so they could get close to Chung Nam-il without police interference.”

“The Prime Minister? What happened to him?” Amélie asked.

“They kidnapped him from his home. This happened at the same time these guys took the hotel hostage but the media didn’t report on it.”

“So this was the Gwishin…”Gabriel muttered. “What are they planning to do with him?”

“They’re going to execute him back in North Korea so they can start the New Korean War.” Hana replied.

She paused. Hana looked as though doubtful of what was next. Gabriel and Amélie were both waiting for her to continue. 

“Keep going…” Gabriel asked.

Hana took a deep breath. “He was one of the officials for the North Korean army until he defected to the South fifteen years ago. All the attacks they’ve been doing was to divide the union and they believe executing him in North Korea would be enough to give South Korea a reason to declare war. Everything else they’ve planned is on this phone I got from one of the terrorists.”

Hana then pulled out a flip phone from her pocket, handing it to Gabriel. Although it looked to be broken, Gabriel could see it was intact.  

“I don’t know what else to say but if the war happens, it could drag other countries into this and the damage could be catastrophic.” Song added.

Gabriel could feel her desperate tone. If what she’s saying was true, this would be something worse than the fight against terrorists. It was an act of war. They needed to act now and fast.

“Do you know where he’s held?” Gabriel asked, looking back at Hana.

“Hwansang Port. They’re planning to smuggle him out by ship tonight.” She replied.

Gabriel then nodded before slipping the phone into his pocket. 

“Thanks, Ms Song,” he said. “We’ll take it from here. Go and get some rest for now.”

“Thank you, sir.” Hana replied which almost sounded like a whisper before allowing police to take her back. 

“I’ll go with Shadow 7 and 8. We’ll keep in touch.” Amélie said.

“Fine by me, go.” Gabriel nodded.

Amélie began to walk away and out towards the road. Gabriel stayed and looked back at the scene where the paramedics continued to treat the hostages with the police questioning some of them.

* * *

After the call from Lacroix, Marvel slipped on the plate carrier over his hoodie with exposed forearms and fitted himself with his own Glock 17 while Ray did the same and armed himself with the UMP-45 fitted with a red-dot optic from the last mission. They were also provided with some neck gaiters for concealment. Once they were ready, they headed out and got into a black unmarked SUV before driving off to the Port. Marvel did a press check of his Glock as they entered the highway. 

“Do you have any guns other than a sidearm?” Ray asked as he drove.

“I have an MCX but that depends on the mission. I prefer to carry light.” He replied, putting his pistol in the waist holster.

“Well, you might wanna bring that one just in case. Any mission can go sideways at any time.”

Marvel didn’t reply but he wasn’t wrong. He had never been on a major mission before. As they continued down the almost empty highway, Marvel had a thought of the situation.

“Makes sense now.” Marvel said.

“What does?” Ray asked without glancing at him.

“The Gwishin’s plan. They never liked the whole truce thing in Korea.“ 

“Wouldn’t make sense that the ROK knew about this.”

“That’s the point. The ROK didn’t know it was them because they don’t have enough proof that it is them. The Gwishin wanted the South Korean government to break the truce and they think killing the Prime Minister on North Korean soil would convince the government to raise hell on the North so they could retaliate with bombs and shit, just like the old days.”

“I don’t think I will understand these guys.” Ray said.

“Maybe that’s what they’re trying to make us think.”

A few minutes had passed and the two passed the gate leading to the Port. The place was empty for the late night with all the stacked containers locked up and secured. They reached the entrance to an area of the Port at the very end. There was a blue two-story building nearby with a warehouse at a distance. Ray parked the SUV at the parking lot beside them before killing the engine. There was no sign of Lacroix anywhere but she could be taking position from afar. 

“This is Shadow 8, we have reached the destination, over.” Ray said to his comm as he got out.

“Copy,” Lacroix replied. Her feed was shared with Marvel too. “Counting multiple hostiles near the warehouse. No sign of the PM. They seem to be waiting for something.”

“Probably waiting for the PM.” Marvel added.

“Guess we’re gonna have to see for ourselves.” Ray commented, finishing up on his weapon check.

Once they were ready, the two moved out and headed for the warehouse with Ray taking point. They passed a yellow truck parked in front of the boom gate and reached the stack of containers a few feet away from the blue building and near the office. They eventually reached the warehouse near the end where a large cargo ship was moored to the side. 

Marvel watched through the window of a car with Ray behind him. He moved over to the front and counted about five men in balaclavas and dark uniforms with ballistic gear. They were carrying what appeared to be smuggled weapons. He heard a door creak and turned to the warehouse where a masked separatist went down the platform while taking a cuffed person with a bag over his head with him. Blood was stained at the front of his messy suit with his blue tie partially ripped off his shirt. 

“There’s the PM. They must’ve roughed him up badly.” Marvel whispered.

“Copy. I see him too.” Lacroix replied. 

Shortly, they heard the sounds of a car engine closing in. Faint headlights began to enlarge from the side and a white van stopped. The doors swung open and a familiar face emerged. The tall, bald man with the scar near his eye. His muscular appearance was quite noticeable.

“Shadow 8 to Shadow 2, I got visual on the White Panther, over.” Ray said.

“Hopefully the real White Panther.” Marvel commented.

They watched him as three more men appeared from the van with smuggled ARs. The White Panther began to approach his team and conversed in Korean. Marvel couldn’t understand what they said but it could be about the PM. 

“What do we do?” Ray asked.

“Wait for it. Let’s see what they’re gonna do to him.” Marvel replied.

Shortly, one of the separatists grabbed the PM and pushed him towards the White Panther. As he held the PM, the White Panther then stopped and looked around. He was scanning the area as if he was looking for something. He then faced their direction but he didn’t look to have spotted them. 

Just as the White Panther checked the PM, Marvel heard a faint sound of sirens wailing from a distance, seemingly closing in. Once they turned towards the sound, the White Panther suddenly winced and stumbled back, clasping over the temple of his head and letting go of the PM. A thunderous crack followed up. His men began scrambling towards the White Panther while others got into defensive positions. That must’ve been Lacroix’s sniper shot. 

“Shadow 7 and 8, you are clear to engage. Repeat, clear to engage.” She ordered from the radio.

Without any second thoughts, Marvel stood up and mounted his pistol on the hood, aimed for the unsuspecting separatists and opened fire. He managed to down one of them, grabbing their attention. Ray followed his lead and fired at the separatists. Bullets pelted at the car the two hid behind and a tire popped, letting out a hiss. Ray leaned over to the other side of the car and fired back. Marvel noticed two separatists fall before catching sight of the White Panther and the remaining Gwishin members heading for the van while dragging the PM with them. One of them fell onto the front hood with blood splattering on it and a familiar crack erupted from the distance. Then the van’s engine rumbled. 

“Shadow 7 to Shadow 2, targets are trying to escape by vehicle, over!” Marvel called out as the two emerged out of cover and chased the van.

They managed to find the van reversing it’s way out and opened fire. The bullets sprayed the hood and reached the windshield before hitting one of the tires. The van began to slow down as Marvel fired at another tire, completely immobilizing the vehicle. As the two approached the van cautiously, Marvel heard the back door open and footsteps distancing themselves. Marvel’s predictions of a surprise realize when a separatist appeared from the side with his rifle raised. He quickly fired two shots to his chest before going for the head.

“Shadow 7 and 8, I lost visual on both of you. You’ll have to find the PM fast, over.”

The two reached the van and found the back doors swung open and empty inside. Then Ray’s weapon fired upon, prompting Marvel to turn to where he was shooting at.

“Over there! At the cargo containers!” Ray called, running after them.

Marvel followed him to the containers, stepping on a puddle across the road. Once they reached the containers, they were immediately willed back by suppressive gunfire. Marvel slid behind the containers away from the volley of bullets bolting between and noticed Ray across him. He heard one of the separatists shout through gunfire.

“Cover me.” Ray said.

Marvel shook his head. “No, you cover me. I‘ll flank them.”

Ray nodded and leaned over to provide cover fire. Marvel moved away from him and headed to the left, raising his pistol. Moving between containers, he aimed his pistol at the separatist hiding from Ray. Just as he turned around, Marvel fired at his stomach. He held onto the body and aimed over his shoulder, shooting the last separatist in the torso. As he fell onto his knees, Marvel finished him off with a shot to the head. He then placed himself in a clinch with the wounded separatist before pivoting on his heel and throwing him to the ground with his hip. Once he was down, Marvel fired a well-placed bullet to the temple, making it the last round. The cartridge bounced off the cement with a metallic clink.

Ray appeared past the container and noticed the bodies. Marvel unloaded his mag, inserting a new one before pulling the slide back. Ray glanced at him, impressed. 

“Nice.” He said.

“Thanks,” Marvel replied, standing up. “Let’s go.”

The two then made it out of the containers with Ray taking point. They reached the road across the blue building where they caught sight of the White Panther and the last separatist stuffing the PM into a car. The two opened fire at them, only managing to penetrate the car before taking cover from return gunfire. As Marvel aimed past the sides, he caught sight of the separatist's head peeking out from the side and fired. He then noticed his body slump to the side. 

Marvel noticed the White Panther firing at Ray’s position near him and fired back, only hitting the hood. He ducked down and changed mags as gunfire focused on his position. Suddenly, they heard a click. Marvel and Ray exchanged glances and he gave him a nod. Ray got out of cover and managed to fire several rounds at the White Panther before he could get down. Marvel stood up from cover and approached the car with Ray behind. He peered past the sides and found the White Panther on the ground. There were several holes to his plate carrier and blood was soaking his clothes. Marvel also noticed a bullet graze to his left temple from Lacroix's shot. However, he was still alive for some reason. Marvel quickly placed a round to his large forehead before he could try any moves on him. He kept his gaze on his body as the thin smoke escaped the muzzle. Marvel activated his radio.

“Shadow 7 to Shadow 2, the White Panther has been neutralized, over.” He said. 

“Copy, Shadow 7,” Lacroix replied. “Secure the PM, over.”

Marvel got off the radio and checked on the White Panther’s body while Ray tended to the PM inside the car. There was nothing false about his face. He was definitely not a double this time. Marvel turned around as Ray got the PM out of the car with the bag taken off his head. He was still shaken but relieved to see his rescuers.

“Shadow 8 to Shadow 2, PM is secure. We’re moving out, over.” Ray said.

“Copy, Shadow 8. Exfiling now. Out.” 

Ray then glanced at the White Panther’s body before looking back at Marvel.

“You sure he’s the real one?” He asked.

_“Yeah. No other North Korean would have a large ass scar like him.”_

Ray nodded and the two walked away from the body, heading back to their vehicle with the PM in their protection. Eventually, this would make the headlines of Busan by the time the workers arrive.

* * *

**_5:53 PM, Local Time_ **

**_Rome, Italy_ **

After a long day and being dismissed, Marvel returned to his apartment outside the Embassy. Unlocking the door, he entered his unit and placed his backpack on the coat rack beside him. His place wasn’t much of a luxury house but it was enough to feel comfortable. Wide rooms for bigger furniture and a balcony overlooking the district which was enough comfort for him to take advantage of.

Marvel took a quick shower before slipping on some comfortable clothes. Walking out of the bedroom, he got himself a can of beer from the fridge and a before heading into the living room. He crashed onto the couch and turned on the T.V. However, he wasn’t interested in what the T.V had to offer so he just left it on to keep the noise on. Popping off the cap, he took a swig of the ice-cold refreshment. 

Then, one of the news reports caught his attention. He didn’t understand Italian but he could tell they were reporting on the incident in Busan and the police identifying the bodies at the Port last night as the Gwishin separatists, as well as one of the bodies being the White Panther. Additionally, there was CCTV footage of two masked figures opening fire at the Gwishin from a distance in which Marvel recognized himself. A smirk began to grow across his face. Then, the footage of the South Korean Prime Minister in the hospital bed making a statement played on the screen. Afterward, the rest of the news wasn’t too important for him. 

Taking another swig, Marvel lifted the controller and changed channels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back again! Sorry for yet another delay but that's how life works. Next one will probably be the same. Apologies for any mistakes. Anyways, leave a kudos and a comment. Bye!


	5. Zvonak na Zavtra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet again, sorry for the delay. Got mixed up with the pandemic and schoolwork. Won't guarantee the next chapter's sooner release so it might take another couple months or so. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

**_02:30 AM, Local Time_ **

**_Rome, Italy_ **

**_June, 2018_ **

Gabriel let out a gasp as he bolted up. He was searching for breath as he looked around. Sweat was running down his body, sticking to his sheets. It was the same nightmare. The visions of his gruesome experience in his military service, his fallen comrades and Nico. He couldn’t get it out of his head and it probably won’t until he died. Gabriel then heard his nightstand rumbling. His phone had been ringing for a while which must’ve woke him up. Sighing, he wiped the sweat off his hands and answered the phone.

 _“_ Hello?” Gabriel mumbled.

“You’re needed for a mission.”

“When?”

“Today. Bring your team in.”

“Understood.”

Hanging up, Gabriel let out another sigh and got off the bed, turning on the lights. The pitch-black room brightened, glowing in contradiction of the dark outside. There was no rest for Blackwatch in the end.

* * *

**_05:10_** **_PM, Local Time_**

**_Moscow, Russia_ **

**_June, 2018_ **

After arriving in Moscow, Gabriel and his team of five, first headed off to their place to meet for the briefing where Salvatore had arranged before-hand. McCree and Sombra were in Gabriel’s car while Amélie, Moira and Marvel were in the other following Gabriel. The ride on the way there was quiet, though Gabriel wouldn’t care much. The team eventually arrived at their meeting area where they would be briefed. The place looked to be an abandoned warehouse but it was a secluded base for intel gathering. Getting out of the car, Gabriel led the team into the warehouse with McCree helping carry equipment with Sombra. Inside, the warehouse was empty and looked to have been left behind in a hurry. The sun shining through the shuttered windows made up for the poor lighting. The team waited for a while, looking around the empty place.  

“This looks shady. Are you sure this is the right place?” Marvel asked.

“Relax, I’ve been here before.” Gabriel assured.

“Of course you have, my friend.”

Gabriel turned around to that familiar accent. The figure walked out of the shadows from the other side and stood. He recognized that haircut from Grease, prompting a smirk from him. 

“ _We_ both picked this together.” 

Gabriel approached him, shaking his hand before pulling in for a hug.

“It’s been a long time, _**Boris**_.” Gabriel said.

“Likewise, old friend.”

Breaking off, Gabriel turned to his team who were waiting for an explanation. 

“Everyone, this is FSB Agent Boris Kuznetsov. We trained and fought together while I was in Delta.”

 _“К вашим услугам,”_ Boris nodded. “I was a good friend of Nico…I’m sorry to hear about what happened in Ukraine, Gabriel.”

Gabriel nodded, slightly uncomfortable. “It’s fine.”

“So what’s the job?” Sombra asked.

Boris took a deep breath before beginning, placing his hands on his hips.

“Last month, the Russian Prime Minister had a less than pleasant encounter with an assassin during her visit in Georgia. She’s a woman with a notable political and social influence on Russia. Rumor has it that there’s going to be another attack and that rumor has been proven true when she received a death threat last week. Our government doesn’t know about this and when I reported this to my superiors, they did not believe me and ordered me to stand down.”

“Sounds like someone is trying to cover this up.” Marvel said.

“More like someone wants her dead.” Sombra added.

“It’s true,” Boris said. “The Prime Minister has always been putting people over politics which to them isn’t a sensible choice and as Sombra said, I do feel like someone from the government is trying to get rid of her which is why I had to contact Blackwatch.”

“And it’s a good thing you did, Boris.”

The group turned towards the familiar voice, leading to two figures approaching them. There were two women, one of them they already knew. It was the Prime Minister herself in her signature white, tight business suit with her dark brown hair tied to a bun to complete the look. Beside her was a tall, muscular woman whose build resembled an Olympic weightlifter. Her blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail and there was a scar above her right eye, forming an ‘X’. 

 _“_ Ah, yes,” Boris turned towards the team to introduce the women. “May I introduce you all to the Prime Minister of Russia, **Katya Volskaya** and her head of security, FSO Agent **Aleksandra** **Zaryanova** or **Zarya** as she prefers.” 

Boris then approached Katya who was looking at the team.

“Miss Volskaya, this is the team I was telling you about.” He said. 

The sentence was implanted on Gabriel’s mind for the past few years every time someone introduced them. Katya nodded, still observing them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” she then glanced away from the team. “Especially _you_ , Sombra.”

Katya’s gaze locked onto the hacker. There was a pause and the team turned to Sombra who simply smirked.

“Pleasure to see you again, Kat.” 

“Please don't call me that.”

“You two met before?” Gabriel asked.

“Yes,” Zarya stepped forward. “Sombra helped us track down and capture terrorist cells across Russia last November.”

“And since I’m here again, I can’t wait to find out who’s trying to kill a good friend of mine.” Sombra said.

Gabriel nodded and turned to Boris. “So how are we doing this, Boris? You got this planned ahead?” 

“Indeed,” he replied. “Volskaya has a press conference in St Petersburg tomorrow, making it the perfect time for whoever’s after her to strike. This is where you and your team come in. You will shadow our escort units on the way to and from the meeting in case anything happens. While they’re out there, we’ll need your hacker to provide eyes from the sky and keep tabs on whoever’s trying to take out Volskaya.” 

“Alright. We can work with that.”

After settling on their plan of action, Gabriel and the team left the warehouse to get some rest for the mission. 

* * *

**_Next Day_ **

**_04:50 PM, Local Time_ **

**_St. Petersburg, Russia_ **

**_June, 2018_ **

Katya looked over the window where they drove down the street. The traffic was unusually less bustling than it was. She had just finished the press conference and she was gazing out the window watching people pass each other without a glance at the traffic. Security revolving her had been tightened in case of an attack with a few more vehicles added to the convoy. The Blackwatch unit was trailing behind the convoy from a further distance in an unmarked car while Sombra was watching them from the drone.

Adjusting her jacket, Katya let out a sigh as the convoy made a stop at a traffic light. Her gaze fell in the middle of the windshield in front of her. Katya then intertwined her hands and began to fidget with her fingers. Something was giving her anxiety. The nerve in her left hand was buzzing. Even though there was no suspicious activity throughout the day, she didn’t buy it. If nothing happens then, it would happen later.

“Is something troubling you, ma’am?”

Turning to the voice, Katya glanced at Zarya who was sitting next to her. As a bodyguard and a close friend, she was always there for her whenever she wasn’t in the mood or felt like crumbling.

“I’m okay, Zarya. Thanks for your concern.” Katya assured.

The convoy moved and they were back on the road again. The silence remained for a while. Katya then began to reminisce. It was often a bad thing. Anytime she reminisced, the first thing that would come up would be something that was troubling her. The image of the death threat popped up in her mind.

“This must be retaliation.” Katya muttered. 

Zarya glanced at her.

“What do you mean?”

“The sins I have committed to make Russia a safer country. The relationships I have shattered to undo Stalin’s actions.”

There was silence between the two. Katya wasn’t expecting Zarya to be on her side on anything political. She heard Zarya sigh and felt her hand touch her knee.

“I don’t agree with what you’ve done but I know that you did what needed to be done. But no matter what you do, I will stay by your side and make sure that nothing happens-”

Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted in front of them, startling Katya as well as cutting off her thoughts. The first car burst into flames and flipped over, landing upside down. The driver then hit the brakes, stopping abruptly. The tires screeched as they halted.

“< Serpent to Arctic Team, status, over! >" Zarya shouted in her earpiece.

There was no response from the first vehicle. Zarya then shouted something Katya couldn’t hear. Everything around her was beginning to close in on her. The noises faded away. This is the retaliation. This is her consequence.

Everything was happening in a blink of an eye. There were two SUVs that stopped in front of the convoy and the doors swung open. A group of men in balaclavas wielding assault rifles emerged and aimed at the convoy. A barrage of gunfire rained upon them. Katya ducked behind the front seats and covered herself as bullets hit the windows like sponges. Thankfully, the bulletproof vehicle was able to sustain against a hail of gunfire like this but they can’t stay any longer.

“< Get us out of here, Kiril! >” Zarya yelled.

“< Roger! >” he responded.

The driver began to reverse from the attackers, weaving past deserted cars on the road with the rear escort vehicle behind them. As Katya peered up from the seat, she turned to her right and noticed a vehicle heading towards them at full speed. Before she knew it, the vehicle smashed into the car and everything went black.

* * *

The team was already on their way to the Prime Minister as soon as they heard the explosion. Gabriel could hear the sounds of chaos and panic from the radio of the FSO team.

“< VIP is hit! VIP is hit! >"  

Gabriel hit the pedal, bypassing vehicles through the almost empty street, heading for the Prime Minister as fast as possible. 

“Shadow 4 to Shadow Team, hostiles are closing in on the VIP! Get your asses down there now!”

“Copy! We’re on our way!” Gabriel responded before pulling on his mask.

They managed to arrive at the scene. At a distance, fire and smoke were drifting up from one of the escort vehicles and the Prime Minister’s vehicle was still there but it’s been tumbled over. A pickup truck was parked near the Prime Minister’s vehicle with several masked men heading towards it. Parking the car next to the remaining escort vehicle, Gabriel and the team hopped out with their weapons ready. They were equipped with suppressed SIG Sauer weapons, different from their usual arms. As the team headed towards the convoy, Amélie approached one of the FSO agents taking cover behind the vehicle. 

“How bad is it?” She asked.

“First vehicle was hit by some sort of bomb and the VIP was hit by an enemy vehicle.” The agent told her.

“Thanks. We’ll take it from here.” 

Amélie did a quick inspection of the scene before turning to the team with a plan.

“Shadow 6, 7, flank them. The rest of us provide suppressive fire so we can reach the VIP.”

Marvel and Moira nodded before heading off to flank them. By the time the team was ready, the attackers noticed them and charged towards the team. The team opened fire, using deserted vehicles as cover. Gabriel managed to take out two attackers, before taking cover behind a red car. As he waited for the right time, he noticed Marvel and Moira making their way down the path nearby. 

Gabriel then stood up and returned fire, taking out a few more attackers with single burst rounds. He caught sight of an attacker stepping onto the roof of a car with a grenade. He blasted him in the neck before he could even throw. As the attacker fell off, the grenade exploded. The fiery blast consumed the vehicles and the attackers near the proximity. Getting out of cover, Gabriel advanced past the vehicles and faced more attackers heading their way. 

Gabriel shot two attackers with multiple rounds, emptying the magazine. Taking cover behind a van, he removed the magazine and clipped on a new one before he heard footsteps to his right. Gabriel turned around and aimed, shooting an attacker in the stomach. He then approached the attacker and finished him off with two rounds near the head before he could fight back. 

Gabriel peered through the front of the van and fired upon another few attackers as McCree rushed towards them while firing rapid bursts. The attackers hid behind vehicles from the gunfire. Gabriel noticed Marvel and Moira from the other side, about to open fire. 

“Reloadin’!” McCree called as he took cover behind another car.

Gabriel moved out of cover and noticed the attackers emerging from cover to fight. Gabriel fired multiple rounds, taking out two of them with the rest being taken care of by the team. He then heard the tires screeching from a distance and noticed one of the attackers’ SUVs speeding away from the scene.

“Clear!”

The team caught up with each other and approached the crash site. Marvel and Moira were first to get there while the rest set a perimeter around them. They found Zarya crawling halfway out of the car with the door ripped open and a smoking pistol on her right hand. A thin stream of blood was sliding down her face from her temple.

“Zarya! Zarya!” Marvel called.

Gabriel noticed one of the attackers on the ground near the car with a bullet to his lower back, trying to crawl away. As he finished him off with a shot to the head, Marvel reached Zarya and helped her up. 

“You alright?” Marvel asked.

“ _Da,_ ” Zarya answered through her gritted teeth. “But they got the Prime Minister.”

Marvel nodded before reaching for his comms.

“Shadow 4, this is Shadow 7. Hostiles got the VIP. Can you track down that vehicle?”

“Already on it,” Sombra answered. “You guys might wanna start catching up to them before they go dark.”

“Copy, we’re on the move,” Amélie said and turned to the team. “Let's go!”

As they made their way back to their car, they noticed Zarya behind them.

“I’m coming too.” Zarya said as she adjusted her Kevlar.

Gabriel glanced at the others, awaiting approval. 

“Alright. Let’s go!” Gabriel nodded.

After getting the remainder FSO agents to contain the vicinity, the team reached their car, a black seven-seater Renault Duster and jumped in. Gabriel ignited the engine and took it by reverse, driving off to the streets. Speeding through light traffic, Gabriel scanned the road for any sign of the attackers’ vehicle. 

“Shadow Team, I managed to I.D the vehicle with the VIP inside. You’re looking for a red Jeep Wrangler without a registration plate.” Sombra said.

Gabriel took a right turn and surprisingly, he caught sight of the red Jeep speeding away in the midst of the light traffic. 

“There it is!” Zarya called, pointing at the car.

Gabriel reached for his comms. “Shadow 1, I got visual on the red Jeep.”

Hitting the pedal, he chased after the Jeep driving erratically. One of the attackers emerged from the window and opened fire at them. The shots rang across the street, scaring away people watching the chase. Shortly, the attacker got back inside, possibly running out of ammo.

“Take the shot, Lacroix!” Gabriel ordered.

“Copy!” Amélie replied as she opened the window.

She mounted the MPX on the window and aimed for the tires. She opened fire, hitting the front and back tires. The Jeep lost control and skidded to the right, crashing into a parked car. Gabriel stopped the car near the Jeep as the alarm of the parked car blared. Several people began to approach the crash, hoping to help whoever's inside. 

“Zarya, get these people outta here.” Gabriel said as he got out of the SUV.

“ _Da._ ” 

As Zarya ordered the people away from the scene, Gabriel and the team advanced towards the Jeep with their weapons fixated on them. The door opened and a leg stepped out. Katya came out with one of the remaining attackers holding her in front. The barrel of his pistol was pressed to the side of her head. The sounds of shock erupted from the crowd. 

“< Back off! Or I’ll kill this- >” 

A gunshot erupted. Two bullets hit the face and the attacker slumped over, pulling Katya down with him. The crowd cried out in shock. Gabriel wasn’t the one who shot him though. He glanced over and noticed both Amélie and Zarya’s weapons with smoke coming out of the barrel. As a former Delta, Gabriel admitted that these two would make his former buddies look like stormtroopers.

“Goddamn.” McCree muttered, alongside Marvel nodding. Even these two were impressed.

Lowering their weapons, Zarya rushed up to Katya who pushed the body away. The team checked their surroundings as the crowd began dispersing.

“Are you alright, Katya?” She asked, getting her up.

“I’m fine.” The Prime Minister nodded and then turned to Gabriel. “Thank you.”

“The job isn’t over until we get you outta here.” Gabriel replied. 

“Of course. Let’s get out of here.”

The team got back into the car with Katya and Zarya joining in while McCree and Marvel sat in the boot. He drove the team away from the area and they headed back to their destination.

“Shadow 4 to Shadow 1,” Sombra said. “I found something interesting.”

* * *

**_9:50 PM, Local Time_ **

**_Moscow, Russia_ **

**_June, 2018_ **

Viačaslaû Tsyganov yawned as he finished his nightly tea. He needed to loosen some tension after his meeting with the Council. The T.V was still airing the night news, including the coverage of the Volskaya attack in St Petersburg. Letting out a gruff sigh, he adjusted his receding hair and stood up from his chair. Suddenly, the room went dark. Everything was pitch black and the T.V was shut off. 

Tsyganov looked around. It must’ve been another power outage but there was something off with it. The suburb he lived in had just gotten maintenance from the electricity technician and the only way a power outage would happen was if there was heavy rain. Setting his teacup on the side, Tsyganov tried to move through the dark with his weak eyesight. He was way too old to navigate through the dark. He lifted his arms to feel anything in front of him but there was nothing to hold on. 

Tsyganov held onto the corner of the wall and suddenly, the lights were back on. His eyes gazed around the room, familiarizing himself. Maybe his neighbor was foolish to turn on more than three appliances, that frail idiot. Letting go of the wall, Tsyganov sighed and turned to get his tea. He picked up his teacup along with the saucer and turned around, only to freeze and drop them onto the carpet floor. His eyes widened at that unexpected sight. 

There was a hooded figure, pointing a suppressed gun at him from the other side of the room. He noticed that he was wearing a balaclava with a skull painted on it. Tsyganov didn’t hear him enter. His house was fitted with heavy security.

“ _Hola,_ Senator.” The intruder said in English.

"< Who the hell are you? >" Tsyganov asked.

"< A friend of the FSB. >"

So he can speak Russian. He had no idea who he was but he could tell he wasn’t Russian. Whoever he was, he must’ve been hired by the FSB. The intruder walked over to him, still aiming the gun at Tsyganov.

“Sit.” He ordered.

He can’t escape this but he wanted to hear his part so he played along. Sitting back down on his chair, he looked up at the intruder, feeling his glare from his eyes. A band of sweat oozed from his forehead. He stayed silent, waiting for him to speak.

“The attempt on Katya Volskaya’s life was smart, hiring the ISIL-CP terrorists to do the work,” He said, taking out a phone from his jacket and tossing it to Tsyganov’s feet. “But paying them first was a big mistake when we traced the payment back to you. That was very idiotic...especially for the Russian Senator.”

Staring down at the phone, he could see an image of the transaction. Now he sees why he’s here. Tsyganov looked up and scowled. 

“You have no clue of what she’s done.” He growled.

“Actually I do,” the intruder said. “I’ll admit, Volskaya could’ve done better but at least she did what she had to do to keep Russia from turning into another Soviet Union where the second Cold War would’ve happened. Hell, she would’ve gotten my vote for the next President of Russia if she chose to. And as for you? You’re just a pathetic politician who abuses power and cowers behind terrorists to do your dirty work.”

Tsyganov ignored his insult. “And you think killing me will solve all of this? I have friends who will finish what I’ve star-”

* * *

Gabriel closed the door behind him, holstering his pistol behind his jacket. He wasn't interested in Tsyganov’s empty threats so he put a bullet to the head to shut him up. Taking off his mask, Gabriel headed for the front gate down at the hill without worrying about the cameras, thanks to Sombra’s intervention. Once he was in a safe distance from the house, Gabriel took out his phone and dialed.

“This is Reyes. It’s done.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you liked the chapter, leave a kudos and constructive criticism if you have any. See you all!

**Author's Note:**

> Regards to Danger Never Sleeps(my Into the Spiderverse fic), it's still being rewritten so don't expect the fourth chapter until a few months. Sorry! 
> 
> Anyways, apologies for any mistakes and issues present. Leave a comment and a kudos! Would appreciate it.


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